Ghosts of the Past
by Buffybot
Summary: Someone from Zekk's past is out to get him. Meanwhile, there is something wrong with Tenal Ka that she's not telling anyone.
1. Default Chapter

CHAPTER ONE

Author's Note:This story takes place one month after my other story, "Second Chances", but you don't have to read it in order to understand this one.If you're interested in how Jacen and Tenal Ka get together then you might want to read it.This takes place after Vector Prime but ignores everything else in the New Jedi Order.

Disclaimer:I don't own any of these characters (except Xander Karsay) and I'm not making any money off of this.

There are a lot more chapters to come, so I'll try to update on a daily basis.And of course, reviews are always welcomed.

CHAPTER ONE

Xander Karsay stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing intently out the large oval window inside his private office.

For the past four months, he had taken residence in this stronghold located somewhere in the Outer Rim.When he had first arrived, soon after waking up from an extensive coma, the place had been nothing more than an abandoned warehouse, but through his own ingenuity and private funds he had been able to turn it into so much more. 

Karsay had been a student of Brakiss during his time at the Shadow Academy.He had never really understood his former master's devotion to his Emperor and the Second Imperium.Karsay himself had only joined the Shadow Academy when he had found out that his force potential, if developed properly, would provide him with the ultimate power to command his every wish and crush anyone who opposed him.

He was furious when Brakiss passed him over for Darkest Knight, saying he had not yet developed the discipline required of a fighter for the Second Imperium. Karsay would question his master's authority every chance he got, and his hot temper had landed more than a few trainees in the infirmary for an extended period of time.But he knew that was just an excuse for Brakiss to give the title to his protégé, the street scamp, Zekk. 

He never thought Zekk was deserving of the title.Karsay never truly believed the loner from the streets of Courscant had given himself completely over to the dark side.He was weak, never letting his anger take full control of his actions.Karsay had never trusted him, even after he had gone on a few missions with him and Zekk had proved he was capable of carrying out his master's orders.

It had turned out that he had been right all along.Upon waking up from his coma, Karsay had learned the so-called Darkest Knight Zekk, was nothing more than a traitor.He couldn't handle all that power and responsibility that the dark side of the force had to offer.Zekk had turned his back on the Shadow Academy – and the Empire – begging the cowardly light side Jedi to take him back. 

The sudden insistent beeping of the comm on his desk broke him away from his thoughts.

He flicked a switch."What?"He snapped, "I specifically left orders not to be disturbed.

There was a pause.The person on the other end was almost certainly trying to come up with some excuse as to why their leader's orders had not been followed.

"Master Karsay," the voice over the speaker said at last, "I have the information that you wanted those smugglers to find for you,"

"I see," Karsay said, calming down considerably, "bring it in,"

"Yes, sir,"

Not more than thirty seconds later, Karsay had a face to go along with the voice that had interrupted his solitude.A nervous looking man in his mid-twenties with curly black hair shuffled into his office.He stood silently at attention, waiting for his employer to give him the order to speak.

"Well, what did you find?"Karsay growled at him.

"Sir, I did what you asked and hired those men to find who you were looking for,"

"And?" Karsay prompted, growing impatient.

"It's as you thought," the young man began nervously, "he's still at Skywalker's Jedi Academy on Yavin Four,"

Karsay smiled coldly."Of course he is, where else would he go?Skywalker's the only one who would take that pathetic coward in,"

The young man just nodded his head.

"You can go now," Karsay said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "and pay those smugglers for their services from my personal account,"

"Yes, sir," he said nodding his head.He quickly turned and hurried out of the room, glad that he was no longer needed.

Karsay wanted to laugh at the stench of fear that was pouring off of him as he practically sprinted out of the room.It gave him a sense of superiority that all those who worked for him feared him.Karsay could not remember what the nervous man's name was, but it was of no importance anyways.Karsay knew that the man he had hired to take care of all 'the little details' would do his job without complaint, not wanting to upset his master like the last person had.A few hours in the torture chamber had straightened out Karsay's previous middleman out.He remembered the screams could be heard all the way up into this very room.That was until Master Karsay had put him out of his misery, permanently.

Karsay walked back to the window, his blood red cape flowing behind him.He let out a satisfied smile as he crossed his arms over his broad chest, his sleeves lifting up just enough to reveal an incredible looking tattoo on his left forearm.The news he had been given had invigorated him.He had been unable to act out his revenge for the past two years because he had been stuck in a coma that no one had ever thought he would wake up from.That was until six months ago.

He had spent two months just healing and trying to get himself back into peak physical condition.When he left the medical facility, he came to this out of the way planet and established his fortress. He recruited troops to serve him and had spent every waking moment waiting for the day where he would have his revenge on the one who had betrayed him all those years ago.

That day had come at last for the only true Darkest Knight there ever was.

Zekk blinked back the burning sweat that fell into his emerald eyes.Breathing heavily, he shook his head to remove the strands of almost-black hair that had come loose from his ponytail and fallen into his face.Holding his flame coloured lightsaber out in front of him, he waited patiently for his opponent to make the next move.

His foe stood a few meters in front of him, his shimmering green blade held in the same outright position as Zekk's.He was drenched in sweat as well, but the oppressive humidity of the jungles on Yavin Four did not seem to affect him.His opponent let a lopsided grin appear on his face and charged forward.

Their lightsabers clashed together, letting a shower of sparks plummet onto the flat jungle ground.Zekk pushed his blade forward, trying to find an opening in his opponent's attack, but he would not give Zekk an inch.

Parry.Thrust.Block.

It went like that for some time, and eventually Zekk lost track of how long they had been going at it.He was so intently focused on the battle in front of him that nothing else seemed to matter.

The quickness of his opponent's thrust, after diverting the last blow Zekk's blade had delivered, caused Zekk to stumble back momentarily.But that was all his foe needed.

In a blur of motion, he lifted himself over and behind Zekk, so that when Zekk regained his balance and went to swing his blade, there was no one there.Zekk could hear the buzzing sound of his opponent's blade behind him, and knew he was caught.One swing of his opponent's blade and it would be all over for him.

"All right," Zekk said, shutting off his lightsaber, "you beat me,"

Behind him, his opponent powered down his own blade.

"Can I have that in writing?"Said Jacen Solo.

Zekk turned around to face him, and in a joking voice said, "your sense of humour will be your undoing,"

Jacen just laughed.

"Seriously, though, you've gotten better since the last time I faced you," Zekk complimented.

Jacen merely shrugged."I've been practicing a lot more,"

"He's been trying to impress Tenal Ka with his swordsmanship abilities," came a new voice.

Jacen and Zekk turned to see Jacen's twin sister and Zekk's girlfriend, Jaina Solo, emerge from the Jedi Temple and onto the sparring area.

"That's real funny, Jaina," Jacen replied sarcastically to his sister's comment, but was unable to keep his cheeks from turning a light shade of red.

Jaina could not help herself from smiling at her brother's embarrassment."Anyways," she went on, "the reason I came out here was to let you know that the _Rock Dragon_ just requested clearance to land,"

Jacen perked up."Tenal Ka's back?"

Tenal Ka had spent the past two weeks visiting with her clan on Dathomir.It had been months since she had last seen her grandmother, the leader of the Singing Mountain Clan, Augwynne Djo.And in light of everything that had happened to Tenal Ka in the past few months, with her failed marriage and public humiliation on Hapes, Jacen had readily agreed and even encouraged Tenal Ka to take a break from everything, by visiting the one place she truly felt was her home in the galaxy.

"Yeah, she should be landing in the next fifteen minutes or so," Jaina told her brother.

"She wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow," Jacen remarked, running his fingers through his sweat-tangled hair in an attempt to make himself look more presentable.

"Well," Jaina began, pretending to walk back to the temple, "I could always use the comm and tell her not to come until tomorrow – "

"No, I'm perfectly fine with her being early," Jacen said quickly, putting his sister's thoughts to an end.

Jaina shrugged innocently."It was just a thought,"

"And here's another thought," Zekk said, eyeing his friend's outer appearance and wrinkling his nose, "if you don't want Tenal Ka to get back in her ship and take off, you might want to consider jumping in the 'fresher before you meet her,"


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Tenal Ka took a deep mouthful of Yavin's humid air, and allowed herself a brief smile.It was good to be back.Though Dathomir was her first home, and Hapes her second, there was something about the small jungle moon that would always hold a special place in heart.

_Well there's no use just standing here_, Tenal Ka scolded herself.

She began her usual brisk pace down the _Rock Dragon's_ boarding ramp and onto the grassy jungle floor where her friends were waiting for her.

Jaina was the first to greet her, giving the warrior girl a quick hug.

Zekk was next.He nodded at her in greetings and said, "welcome back,"

"Thank you, friend Zekk.It is indeed good to be back," 

Jaina and Zekk then stepped aside, so the last member of their group could welcome her.

A freshly showered Jacen walked over to Tenal Ka and embraced her tightly.They had spoken several times over the holonet while she was gone, but that had not made him miss her any less.

"I'm glad your back," he said to her.

"I missed you," she said quietly, struggling to control her emotions.

To his astonishment, he found Tenal Ka still holding him tightly when he moved to let go of her.Slightly embarrassed at her clinging to Jacen, Tenal Ka turned away so he wouldn't see her face reddening. 

Jacen was grinning from ear to ear at her open display of affection.She knew he was enjoying every minute of her embarrassment, and it was not likely he would let her forget this 'emotional breakdown' anytime soon. 

When she stared up at him, Jacen could immediately tell there was something different about her.Something about her that had changed since the last time he had seen her.Her outer appearance was unchanged – she was still as beautiful as the first day he met her.It was like something on the _inside_ was different but he could not put his finger on what it was.

Tenal Ka picked up on his thoughts._He can't possibly know_, she thought silently.

She was thankful though, when all he said was, "there's something different about you,"

"I am the same as when I left," she responded instantly.

Jacen let the smile fade off his face.Something was definitely not right.He was almost sure she was hiding something, but decided to let it go.Maybe it was something she wanted to tell him later when it was just the two of them.

The four friends headed in the direction of the Academy, with Jaina filling Tenal Ka in on everything she had missed while she was gone, which was not a lot.Rarely did anything out of the ordinary occur at the Jedi Academy.It was just the usual bunch of force sensitive kids getting themselves into trouble whenever they could.

" – Anakin and Tahiri would have come to meet you," Jaina was saying, "but Uncle Luke has them teaching one of his beginner classes for him,"

Her friends continued to talk, but Tenal Ka only half-listened to it all.Her mind kept wandering back to the life-altering event that had happened to her during her first week of stay on Dathomir.She did her best to keep her thoughts secret though, not wanting her friends to know what was going on before she was ready to tell them.

After evening meal that night, Jaina and Zekk set out to do some 'tinkering' on the _Lightning Rod_.They had asked Jaina's younger brother, Anakin, to join them, since he seemed to have picked up the same gift as his sister for fixing and figuring out how mechanical things worked.Anakin had told them he would meet them out there later.

It was turning out to be a clear night, so they had moved the _Rod_ out onto the landing field, instead of leaving the ship in the hanger bay where they usually worked on her.

"Hey, Zekk," Jaina called up to him, from where he was stationed on top of the ship's outer hall, "is there any spare cyberfuses in here?"

He thought for a moment. "No," he answered, and went back to filling in the minor cracks in his ship's hull.

"I think I have some in my room," she told him, exiting the ship, "be back soon,"

Zekk watched Jaina disappear into the hanger bay.There were so many scrap parts of machinery and equipment in her room it would probably take her all night to find the right one.

A sudden burst of a cool breeze caused Zekk to shiver.He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick up, an uneasy feeling settling inside him.He had no idea what had gotten him so spooked all of the sudden.It wasn't like he hadn't worked on the _Lightning Rod_ on his own before.So why should it be any different this time?

He carefully examined the massassi trees surrounding him, searching for evidence of what was giving him these anxious feelings, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.Muttering to himself about being paranoid, Zekk went back to his task of patching up the old ship's hull.

The moment Zekk leaned back down, a blaster bolt sizzled over him, barely missing the top of his head.

He was alert instantly, his danger senses flaring.Zekk reached down to his side for his lightsaber, and cursed when he realized it wasn't there.He had taken it off earlier to work on the ship.All he had on him was a small holdout blaster that he kept strapped to his lower leg beneath his pants.

The next bolt that shot by grazed his shoulder.Zekk suppressed a shout of pain, despite the stinging in his shoulder.When he looked over at it expecting to see burnt flesh, all he saw was a small hole in his shirt.He soon came to the realization that the blaster must be on stun.Whether they were on stun or not, Zekk did not care.He was not about to let himself become target practice.He lifted up his left pant leg and took out the tiny blaster that he kept hidden there, thankful that he had replaced the old power pack last week.

Seeing that he was at a disadvantage by being such an easy shot up here in the open, Zekk slid off the _Lightning Rod_ and headed for shelter by some fallen down massassi tree trunks.He flew over the fallen trees and landed on his stomach just as another bolt zipped past him.

Without brushing himself off, Zekk got up on his haunches and peered over the mass of fallen tree trunks, his blaster ready to fire on any foreign movement.With the approaching night casting shadows over the jungle, it was difficult for him to determine which shadows were part of the jungle's natural formation and which were not.

Movement off to the left caught his emerald eye.Zekk aimed his blaster and fired.His weapon wasn't set to stun, so when his intended target let out a yelp of pain he knew he had found the location of at least one of his attackers.

"Who are you and what do you want?"Zekk shouted into the night.

More blaster fire was his answer.

Zekk ducked behind his hiding spot, gritting his teeth.He was clearly outnumbered.He sensed at least four minds, but there could easily be more lurking around somewhere waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves.

He sensed a new mind approaching from the side of the temple.Zekk held his position, waiting for a clear shot at the new presence he had felt.He aimed his palm-sized blaster, ready to fire, until he saw the violet blade of Anakin Solo's lightsaber come to life.

The glowing blade revealed the three attackers who were a lot closer than Zekk had originally thought.Each one was wearing a charcoal gray flight suit, with a red stripe running down each pant leg.

Zekk watched as Anakin used his energy blade to block the first couple of shots fired at him, while using the force to push one of the attackers into a tree.The man slid down the tree trunk, momentarily stunned.Zekk came out of his hiding spot and blasted the man who was about to shoot Anakin in the back.Anakin deflected a stun bolt back at the third assassin, hitting him in the hand and knocking his blaster to the ground.

Looking over at Zekk, Anakin shouted in alarm, "Zekk, behind you!"

Without hesitation, Zekk whirled around and fired, hitting the man trying to sneak up on him square in the chest.At that close range, the blaster fire killed him instantly, leaving him nothing more then a smoking corpse on the jungle ground.

The other two that Anakin had temporarily put out of commission, got to their feet and picked up their unconscious comrade.They ran off into the jungle, leaving behind their dead companion.

Anakin made a move to go after them but decided against it, realizing there might be more of them hidden out there.He powered down his lightsaber and trotted over to where Zekk stood beside the smoking body of the man he had just killed.

Zekk looked gratefully at him."Thanks, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't showed up."

"Better late than never," Anakin replied.

The two of them stared down at the mysterious and now dead attacker.They took special interest in a tattoo on his lower forearm where the sleeve of his flight suit had been rolled up.Even though it had gotten significantly darker outside, the two could clearly identify the marking of a red-eyed snake with its fangs open.

"Do you know if this tattoo means anything?"Anakin asked him, remembering having seen it on one of the other assailants.

It was vaguely familiar to Zekk, as if it were something he had known in another life.Yet, he could not bring himself to say anything, unable to admit the possibility of what it could be.

He decided the best thing to say was, "I'm not sure," then letting a deep frown form on his face, he added, "but I have a bad feeling about it.We better go tell the others,"

Anakin did not disagree.Together, they headed back to the Jedi Temple carrying the body of the fallen attacker with them.


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Alone in her quarters, Tenal Ka unpacked the bags she had taken with her on her trip to Dathomir.Unpacking had taken longer than she had anticipated, even though she had only brought necessary items with her: some clothes, toiletries, and her lightsaber.

After dinner, Jacen had asked if she wanted to take a walk with him but she had turned him down with the excuse that she was tired and would probably retire to her room early.Jacen had regarded her curiously because she always seemed to have endless energy no matter what the time of day, but he did not push the subject.Tenal Ka was grateful for that, preferring not to have to lie to him.

Tenal Ka blew out a frustrated breath as she placed the last of her clothes in her dresser drawer.Two weeks ago her life had been completely normal and now she was cursed with a disease for which there was no cure.She sat down on the hard wooden chair in her sparsely furnished room remembering how it had all started.

It was springtime on Dathomir, so she had been helping her fellow clan sisters harvest the crops.After awhile she had begun to feel light-headed and dizzy.Thinking it was nothing more then being out of shape from participating in such rigorous labour, she had taken a drink of water from the Singing Mountain Clan's well and went back to work.

The next thing she remembered after that was lying on a bed in her grandmother's home, feverish and disoriented.Augwynne was extremely worried about her granddaughter, and when even the clan's own chants and medicines had no effect on her condition, Augwynne felt she had no other choice but to contact Tenal Ka's mother, and tell her there was something wrong with her daughter.

Despite the fact that the people of Dathomir lived primitive and relatively simple lives, each clan kept a comm system in case of an emergency.And that had definitely been one of those times.Augwynne had contacted her daughter, Teneniel Djo and her husband, Prince Isolder, explaining to them Tenal Ka's condition. 

Tenal Ka's power hungry grandmother, Ta'a Chume, who was back on Hapes, monitored all calls to the Royal Family, and had heard every word of the conversation.Before Tenal Ka knew what was happening, her grandmother's two most trusted and loyal assistants were whisking her off to Hapes, where she would receive the best medical care possible.

The tests had been the worst part, Tenal Ka remembered with a shutter.The continuous poking with needles to take blood and other fluids from her body occurred daily, so the doctors could perform a million different tests to discover what was wrong with her.A few days later, they had the results.

Sinapsisden was what they called it.A rare disease that could only be caught if the individual had Dathomirian genes.And Tenal Ka was half-Dathomirian.

It was a disease that slowly attacked the entire body, invading blood vessels with diseased organisms and then eventually making its way to the victim's immune system.When this happened, the body's T-cells begin to die off and the body could no longer get rid of the foreign organisms in it.At this stage in the disease death becomes inevitable.

There was no known cure for Sinapsisden.Yet.

Common symptoms of Sinapsisden in its earliest stages included nausea, dizziness, headaches, fevers, and fatigue.The latter stages of the disease, when it began to take its toll on the body, was characterized by the same symptoms, except they were much more severe and did not disappear after a couple of days.

The doctors had been happy to inform her that she was in the earliest stages of Sinapsisden.They had told her that many people who were diagnosed with this disease went on to live long and relatively healthy lives.Since Tenal Ka was young and strong, they felt she stood a strong chance of leading a normal life, if she took care of herself.The only part of a normal life she would never have was children.The risks were too high that she could end up passing the disease along to any children she had.

She and Jacen were still young so they had never seriously talked about having children, and now that idea had been snatched away from her before she even had a chance to consider children playing a role in her future.

Ta'a Chume had been more than a little upset when her granddaughter had decided to come back to Yavin Four and act as if nothing had changed.To Tenal Ka, nothing really had changed.She was still a Jedi Knight and had every intention of continuing to fulfill her duties as one.She was not going to let some disease that could take years to take effect ruin her life now.

It had taken some strong persuading on her part, with the help of her parents, to convince her grandmother that she should be allowed to continue to live a normal life, instead of being bed-ridden in some hospital when a cure may never be found in her lifetime.Ta'a Chume had eventually caved in on the condition that Tenal Ka attend monthly checkups on Hapes – which she had grudgingly agreed to, and that she take the medication the doctor's had prescribed for her if she began to feel any of the symptoms associated with Sinapsisden.The medication would not cure her but it would help her to keep the disease under control.

Tenal Ka grabbed the satchel off her bed that still held the prescription pills in it, and took them out of it.She had no intention of taking the medication unless her illness became absolutely unbearable.She planned to meditate regularly and find a way to use the force to keep it under control.

She did not want her friends or even Jacen to treat her differently, or give her any special treatment because of her condition.That was one of the reasons she had not told any of them yet.The other being she still had not figured out _how_ to tell any of her friends that she was sick with a disease that there was no cure for.It still had not completely sunk in for her the painful reality of it all.She had always kept herself in peak condition, exercising regularly and eating healthy.It just did not seem possible that something like this could happen to her.

Of course, Tenal Ka knew she was being stubborn and maybe even a little selfish for keeping something like this a secret, because she knew her friends would only want to help her.For now though, she wanted to keep this disease to herself, and continue to move forward with her life as if nothing had happened.

There was a knock at her door then, and she quickly shoved the bottle of pills back in the bag.

Without waiting for a response, the door to her room swung open, revealing a flush-faced Tahiri.

"You better come to Master Skywalker's office," Tahiri said out of breath, "Zekk was just attacked out on the landing field,"

Tenal Ka needed no further encouragement.In a split second, she was on her feet and following Tahiri out the door to Master Skywalker's office.Her own problems suddenly seemed insignificant, now that one of her friends needed her.

"I have no idea who they were, or what they wanted," Zekk explained to the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, "they just appeared out of nowhere and started shooting at me,"

Luke nodded silently, and continued to listen carefully as Zekk relayed the story of his attack.What Zekk was describing didn't ring a bell in his mind either, but what did seem to interest the Great Jedi Master, along with everyone else present in the room, was the strange tattoo they found on the body that Zekk and Anakin had brought back.

Tenal Ka and Tahiri who had recently joined them, stood near the back of the room, while Jacen and Jaina stood near Zekk and Anakin in front of Master Skywalker's desk.

"I should've been there," said Jaina.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Jaina," Zekk told her, "you didn't know what was going to happen,"

"And it's not like they were actually trying to kill him," Jacen added, "their blasters were set on stun,"

Anakin spoke up from his seat beside Zekk, "That's what's been bothering me.If they weren't trying to kill you, then the only possible explanation is – "

"They wanted to capture me alive," Zekk finished for him.

"That does seem like the logical conclusion," conceded Tenal Ka.

"It's the _only _conclusion," he insisted, "they only came after me, and didn't go anywhere near the Jedi Academy, even though they had ample opportunity to."

"Who would want to kidnap you?"Said Tahiri.

"I wish I knew," Zekk replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Jaina looked thoughtful."What about that tattoo on the guy you brought back?And didn't Anakin say that he noticed one of the other attackers had the same marking on him?"

"It looks familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've seen it before," said Zekk, only half-truthfully.

Anakin pressed his palms together and got that faraway look on his face when he was trying to solve a problem."We should check the New Republic's archives," he said at last, "maybe there's a record of that marking in there somewhere,"

Luke nodded his agreement."That's a good place to start.I'll give Leia a call and see if she can give us access to the files we need.I'll get her to send a medical team here to retrieve the body you brought back and to examine it further, just incase we missed anything. In the meantime," Luke began, regarding each of the young Jedi Knights present, "be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.Our mysterious assailants could very well still be here on Yavin Four, waiting for another opportunity to strike. 

"And Zekk," Luke said, turning to face the dark-haired young man in front of him, "get someone to help you bring your ship in.I don't want you going anywhere alone, until we get a better idea of what we're up against,"

Luke Skywalker did not have to worry about the mysterious assassins hanging around the jungle moon.In fact, the moment the group had realized they were outmatched against the kid with a lightsaber, they had picked their injured selves up, and carried their unconscious companion back to their ship.The fourth member of their group, Trev, had not been so lucky.He had been foolish enough to try to sneak up behind a Jedi, and ended up paying the price for it.They had no choice but to leave his body behind with the Jedi.

The remaining assailants now stood in Xander Karsay's office, explaining their failure to their master.

Karsay only listened with half-interest.He hadn't really expected them to pull the scheme off in the first place.Sending a group of force blind troops to a planet full of Jedi to kidnap someone was bound to fail.So when he sent them out of his office without punishment after the report of their failure, the trio looked as if they had just stared death in the face and lived to talk about it.

The truth was, most other times failure to complete a mission occurred Karsay would not have been so generous.But these were good soldiers, men Karsay had known for years.They had in fact done exactly what Karsay had intended for them to do.He had caught Zekk off guard, and now the former dark lord was probably going out of his mind trying to figure out how someone who was supposed to be dead was sending assailants after him.He did not doubt that Zekk would remember what the tattoo on his troops stood for.

The traitor would seek him out, Karsay was sure of it.If Zekk had anything of the dark side left in him, and Karsay was sure he did, then he would indeed come.


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

A bleary-eyed Jacen walked into the Jedi Academy's communication room early the next morning to find Jaina, Anakin, and Zekk already there.Anakin and Jaina were at one computer terminal, while Zekk was staring intently at another screen.They looked like they had been up since dawn.

Jacen had been unable to sleep either.He kept waking up almost every hour, and finally decided at 6:30am to get up.He had walked by his sister's room and found she was up already.It had not taken him very long to figure out where she might be.

"Morning, Jacen," Jaina greeted him as he walked in.

"Have you found anything?"He asked, flopping down into a cushioned chair.

"Not yet," Zekk answered without looking up from the screen.

"Mom cleared us access to the entire databank on Courscant earlier this morning," Anakin told his older brother, "If that tattoo is on record somewhere then we'll find it,"

Jacen tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.

"Rough night?" Jaina said to him, noticing the dark circles under her twin's eyes.

"Just some trouble sleeping, that's all," then quickly changing the subject said, "do you need any help?"

"Well," Zekk began, rubbing his eyes, "if you want to check over some of these files we haven't gone through yet, you're welcome to it.I need a break.I can't see straight I've been staring at this screen so long."

Jacen relieved Zekk from his computer terminal, and began the tedious search of checking through the archives of information that his mother had sent them.Fondor was the next planet on the list, so Jacen started his search there.

Fondor:industrial planet; population: approximately one billion; tourist attractions: the shipyards where Darth Vader's personal flagship, _Executor_, was built….

After only an hour of staring at the different images and information on the screen in front of him, Jacen felt his mind begin to wander.He was onto his sixth planet, Dundas, some place that he had never heard of before, when Tenal Ka entered the room.

"Greetings, friends," Tenal Ka acknowledged them.She was wide-awake, her skin still glistening from her morning run through Yavin's jungles.

"Has there been any success in your search?"

"No, not really.Snakes seem to be native to just about every planet in the galaxy.And none of them even give a hint that our mysterious symbol belongs there," Jaina replied glumly.

"We could use your help, Tenal Ka," said Jacen.

"Of course," the warrior girl responded.

She walked over to his terminal, standing rigidly and silently behind Jacen, looking over his shoulder as he scrolled through the information on the screen.

Jacen knew Tenal Ka was not one to talk unnecessarily, but she had barely spoken a whole sentence to him since she had been back.He wondered briefly if maybe she was angry with him, but then could not think of a single thing he had done to make her upset.She had seemed perfectly fine when he had spoken to her over the holonet.

Losing interest in the screen in front of him, Jacen continued scrolling through the information on Dundas without really paying any attention to it.Lucky for him though, Tenal Ka was.

She placed a firm hand on his shoulder."Jacen, stop,"

He did as he was told, not knowing what had caught Tenal Ka's attention until he read what was on the screen in front of him:

_A large problem on Dundas for the last decade or so has been the rising number of gangs in the cities.Some of the more notorious ones include Vader's Children, Idiot's Array, and Snake Eyes._

__Tenal Ka folded her arms over her chest in silent triumph."Ah," she said, "aha,"

"What did you find?"Zekk asked, as him and the rest of the young Jedi Knights crowded around her.

"I believe this to be our best lead so far," she said pointing to the part about gangs on the screen.

Jaina looked doubtful."Why would a gang be after Zekk?Especially one all the way in the Outer Rim Territories."

Tenal Ka shrugged."We should not dismiss the possibility,"

"Snake Eyes?" Anakin said, mulling over the idea in his head, "it sounds right somehow,"

"What do you think, Zekk?" Jacen said to his friend.

Zekk didn't answer.All the colour had drained from his face, and he looked like he was caught in some painful memory from his past.

Jaina touched his arm concerned."Zekk, what is it?You look like you've just seen a ghost,"

He had.One from his horrible past as a Dark Jedi that he had spent so much time trying to forget._But how can that be?He's dead_, Zekk thought silently.

"Zekk, snap out of it!"Jaina said, waving a hand in front of his face in an effort to bring him back to reality.

He shook his head, trying to clear it."What?"He snapped.

Jaina took a step back at his outburst.

"Sorry," he apologized, and then he cleared his throat, "Tenal Ka's right, though,"

"Are you sure?"Jacen asked, skeptically.Just because this was the first, real connection to the mysterious marking they had found did not necessarily mean it was the right one.

Zekk's response was immediate."Yes, I remember where I've seen that tattoo before,"

"You've been to Dundas?I've never even heard of it 'til now," said Anakin.

Zekk got that distant look on his face again."Yeah, once, but that was a long time ago," he said quietly.

Jaina blinked.She wondered why Zekk had never mentioned to her that he had visited this place before."It sounds like a wonderful place to visit," she remarked dryly, reading through what little information the computer had on Dundas, "so what are we waiting for?If we leave soon, we should arrive at Dundas sometime this evening,"

Zekk had no doubt that on Dundas they would find the reason behind his attempted kidnapping that night out on the landing field.He just wasn't sure if he was up to reliving that part of his past.


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Jacen Solo walked into the hanger bay, scanning for the _Lightning Rod_ among the other ships present.It did not take long for him to find the battered old ship, which was parked near his Uncle Luke's x-wing and a couple of other light carrier crafts that he did not know the name of.He spotted Tenal Ka already making her way towards the ship. 

Throwing his duffle bag over his shoulder, he jogged towards the _Lightning Rod_.

"Need a hand?"Jacen asked coming up behind her on _Rod's_ boarding ramp.

"No thank you, I already have two fully functional one's," she answered in all seriousness.

Jacen just shook his head, unable to keep the grin off his face.Sometimes, even now, Tenal Ka took things a little too literally.

"What I meant was do you want help carrying your bag?"

"Thank you, but I am perfectly capable of carrying my own bag," and she turned to head into the ship.

Frustrated, Jacen said, "what did I do to make you so mad at me?"

"I am not mad at you, Jacen," she said, turning back around so she was facing him.

"You could've fooled me.You've just been avoiding me every chance you've got since you've been back,"

"I have not been avoiding you,"

"Yes you have," he insisted, and then softening his voice, said, "did something happen while you were on Dathomir?"

She hesitated just a fraction of a second."No, nothing happened," _why can't he just believe me?_

__"You're lying," he had not meant to say that out loud it had just slipped out.When he looked at her face he could tell she was not angry with him for calling her a liar, but was angry because he would not drop the subject.

"If you do not believe me, that is your choice," she said gruffly, "but we have a mission to complete and that is my first priority," with that, she turned on her heel and stormed into the ship.

Jacen was not far behind her, but when they got in the ship, they each went their separate ways.Tenal Ka headed for the lounge area, and Jacen stayed where he was, throwing his duffle bag to the floor in disgust.

Jaina and Zekk, who were standing near the entrance to the cockpit, had heard the entire skirmish unfold.

"It's gonna be a long trip," Zekk whispered in Jaina's ear, then walked past her and into the cockpit.

Jaina did not disagree.

As the star lines of space stretched around them and the _Lightning Rod_ plunged into hyperspace, Zekk leaned back in his seat, threading his hands behind his head in an effort to appear calm, though he was anything but.He could feel Jaina's eyes on him, searching him, trying to get an idea of what was going on in his head.He did not think she would stay silent for long, and he was right.

"What's got you so spooked, Zekk?You've had that haunted look in your eyes since Tenal Ka mentioned Dundas as our best lead,"

"It's a long story," he said without looking at her.

"It's a long trip," she countered.

He didn't say anything and Jaina could tell he was genuinely uncomfortable with the subject. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, it's okay," she said in an understanding voice.

"It's not that," Zekk said, turning in the copilot's seat so he was facing her, "it's just…hard for me to talk about the things I did while I was at the Shadow Academy."

_So that's what has been eating away at him_, Jaina thought.She knew better than most people the way Zekk had struggled to put his dark past behind him.Sometimes, even now, she would sense his thoughts dwelling on the things he had done as Brakiss' Darkest Knight.Even she did not know everything about Zekk's shady past.He had shared some of it with her, not the worst parts, though.She had always sensed him holding back whenever he had explained his time at the Shadow Academy.It was as if he thought that if she knew the truth about every horrible thing he had done, she would run away from him and he would lose her for good, like he almost had a few years ago when he had turned to the dark side.

She was not ashamed of Zekk _or_ his past.Jaina had seen first hand the way he had tried to make up for it by working so hard to become _and_ prove that he was a Jedi of the light.Still, she knew his past would always be a part of him, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

Jaina watched him take a deep breath, as if he were preparing himself before revealing one of his dark secrets to her.She waited patiently in her pilot's seat, not wanting to rush Zekk into telling his tale before he was ready.

"When I was at the Shadow Academy," he began slowly, " there was another apprentice there about the same age as me, training to be a Dark Jedi.His name was Karsay.He grew up on the streets of Dundas, and was the leader of the gang, Snake Eyes.The gang was made up of mostly runaways and orphans, like the Lost Ones back on Courscant.Except Snake Eyes are a lot more ruthless," he added.

The Lost Ones were a gang that inhabited the dingy and less hospitable lower levels of the Imperial City, living in run-down buildings that had not been used since the days of the Old Republic.They were a tough-looking bunch that mainly stayed below the surface, scavenging for whatever food or other materials they could find in order to make a living.More than a few times they had tried to convince Zekk to join their gang because he knew his way around the lower levels so well.Zekk had turned them down every time, preferring to keep his independence and freedom.

"Once you've pledged allegiance to the gang," Zekk continued, "you're in it for life.Karsay was an exception, though.As soon as Tamith Kai found him and told him he had force potential, he was out of there faster than a gundark with its ears on fire.

"But before he left, he got a tattoo, just like every other member of the gang had to when they joined.To identify the gang they belonged to, each member got a snake with blood red eyes and its fangs open tattooed to their left forearm," Zekk explained, pointing to his own arm for emphasis.

Jaina gave him a confused look."So, if you already knew all this, why didn't you say something after you were attacked?"

Zekk shrugged, uncomfortably."Maybe because I was hoping it would turn out I was wrong, even though in my gut I knew the truth."

Jaina asked, "how does Karsay fit into the picture?"

"He has a score to settle with me," Zekk answered in a grim voice."The only problem is he's been dead for almost two years."

"Maybe he's still alive," 

Zekk shook his head emphatically."Impossible.Brakiss told me he was dead, and he was injured to badly to survive anyway,"

"Maybe Brakiss lied to you," Jaina suggested.

"No," he replied, stubbornly, "Brakiss wanted Karsay dead just as bad as everyone else at the Shadow Academy.Karsay was too cocky for his own good.He started fights with the other Dark Jedi on the station, and wreaked havoc wherever he went."

"How did Karsay die?"Jaina asked curiously.

Zekk heaved a sigh, clearly he did not want to explain this part of the story, but had gone this far so he might as well go on."Brakiss had told Karsay more than once that he wasn't the ring leader of some punk street kids anymore.That he was now a servant of something far greater, and had better fall in line.Karsay refused to listen, leaving Brakiss with no choice but to get rid of him for the good of the Second Imperium.

"As his Darkest Knight, Brakiss ordered me to take care of him when we went on our next mission.He sent me, Karsay, and some of the new trainees to Nar Shaddaa.We were to take a shipload of spice back to the Shadow Academy, where we would sell it the highest bidder, then receive a generous percentage of the profits and then give the rest to the Hutts.It was a way for the Hutts to sell their spice without having to fear smugglers dropping their cargo at the first sign of a New Republic cruiser.And it was a way for the Second Imperium to gain the funds necessary to finance the ships and weaponry that it needed.

"Karsay and I rode the turbolift up to the twelfth floor of this abandoned building.The Hutts had hid the spice for us there, in order to try and keep the fact hidden from their associates that they were having dealings with the Second Imperium.

"The entire thing was all a setup, a trap that I had set for Karsay ahead of time.But he was smarter than I gave him credit for.He had sensed he was walking into a trap the moment he walked into the building.Once the lift opened, he used the force to propel himself forward fast enough to dodge the vibroblades that were triggered to shoot out from the wall.He was fast enough to avoid the vibroblades, but couldn't escape the monofilament wire.The wire cut straight through his boot, severing his foot.

"I couldn't go back to Brakiss and tell him I had failed, so I went after Karsay with my lightsaber to finish him off.He fought surprisingly well for a guy who had just lost his foot.But he was weak, and a final blow from my lightsaber along with a strong nudge from the force, sent Karsay through the glass of the window and falling twelve stories.The trainees had seen him fall, and rushed him back to the space station.Brakiss told us soon after that Karsay's injuries had been too severe and he had died," Zekk finished.

Jaina sat there wide-eyed, as she had through Zekk's entire story, not knowing what to say, which was a rare occurrence for her.She had not been expecting any of this.

"Say something, Jaina," Zekk said in a quiet voice.

She gently shook herself out of her reverie.

"See, this is why I never told you," he went on, "because my past is my problem and you shouldn't have to deal with it,"

Jaina straightened in her seat."I can handle your past, Zekk.I only wish you would trust me enough to tell me everything," she said, looking at him with sad eyes. 

"I _do _trust you," he said, grabbing her hands, "but my past is just that – the past – and I want it to stay that way.Talking about it won't change anything, except maybe the way you think and feel about me.I know you're going to say that's not true," he hurried on before she could interrupt him, "but you're only human, Jaina, and there's only so much you can understand and forgive.So please don't be mad that I'm not ready to tell you everything.All I can tell you for now, is that I promise to tell you everything one day when we're _both_ ready to deal with it."

Jaina wanted to shout that she was ready to deal with it now, but she knew Zekk was not, so was willing to wait until that time when he was ready to talk about it.He was right about one thing, though.What happened in the past was the past, and she would love Zekk no matter what his past mistakes were.

"You should tell the others about Karsay," she suggested.

"What for?" Zekk said with a shrug of his shoulders."I'm telling you whoever was behind the attack on Yavin Four is just trying to mess with my head."

"You don't know that.Look at all the evidence we've found that points to Karsay.Not to mention what you just told me." Jaina persisted."Did you ever actually _see _Karsay's body?"

"Well, no," he admitted, and then sighing, he added, "can we please just drop this?"

Jaina said, "fine, but I think you should stay open to the possibility that somehow Karsay managed to survive."

Grumbling a non-committal reply, Zekk busied himself with the controls in front of him.

Jaina leaned back in her seat.Zekk seemed entirely convinced that Karsay was not behind the failed kidnapping attempt, but Jaina was not so sure.She only wished that she knew why Zekk was so against accepting the obvious.

Jacen watched in silent fascination as Tenal Ka practiced honing her lightsaber skills with a floating remote hovering near her.She used a piece of lizard hide as a makeshift blindfold, leaving her with nothing but her force senses and her sharp hearing to figure out where and when the floating remote would strike next.

Tenal Ka preferred to rely on her own wits and strength, but knew that there would be times in battle when knowing how to use the force could save her life and possibly others.She had learned the hard way what happened when you refused to use all your senses to their fullest extent.It had cost her her arm in a lightsaber duel with Jacen.Only a few months ago she had decided to get a replacement one, finally realizing that she would not be seen as weak if she wore one and that she had only been limiting herself by refusing to get her arm replaced.A Jedi had no limits except for the ones they placed on themselves.Master Skywalker had taught her that.

After the accident she had learned to let the force guide her actions, and eventually accepted it as a part of her everyday life.It had saved her and her friends more than once.

The remote was at the highest setting possible, so the lasers would come at her faster and from all different angles.Even that was not challenging enough for her but it would do for the time being.

Reaching out with the force and using her acute hearing, Tenal Ka would knew when the remote would throw another volley of stun laser fire before it actually happened.

Sensing a burst of laser fire about to come from behind her, she turned her athletic body around in one fluid motion, swinging her lightsaber to deflect the five shots fired at her in succession.

Having completed another round, the remote closed its ports and hovered silently, waiting to be programmed for another training session.

Not even sweating from her workout, Tenal Ka removed her blindfold, placing her hands on her hips in satisfaction.The remote had not presented her with much of a challenge, but it served the purpose of helping keep her mind sharp and focused.

"Wanna try a living opponent?"Jacen said, a challenging grin on his face.

Anakin snickered from where he sat beside his brother, and Tahiri put a hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle a giggle.They both figured Tenal Ka could wipe the floor with Jacen just as easily as she had the remote.The truth was, the two of them were pretty equally matched, even more so since Jacen had upped his training and started practicing on a daily basis.He knew Tenal Ka would show him no mercy, regardless of their relationship, and Jacen was fine with that.He had come to expect no less from her.

"If that is what you wish," said Tenal Ka, gesturing with the handle of her lightsaber for him to join her.

_Maybe a good duel will work out the tension between us_, thought Jacen hopefully.

They ignited their shimmering blades.

Jacen, wanting to catch Tenal Ka off guard, immediately went on the offensive.Tenal Ka was ready for it.She parried his blade aside with little difficulty until Jacen began to apply more pressure to his thrusts.They let the force guide their movements, knowing Zekk would not appreciate a gouging hole in the hull of his ship.

Jacen, wanting to get a reaction out of Tenal Ka, said in a cocky voice, "had enough?"

Enjoying herself and caught up in the exhilaration of the battle between them, she gave him a feral grin, rising to the bait as Jacen had expected."Not unless you wish to give up now,"

"Not on your life," he replied as a sizzling sound filled the air of the lounge when their blades collided.

Not wanting either one to gain the upper hand, their movements became precise and filled with finesse.Each testing the other's abilities and then backing off.

The two spectators looked on in respectful silence, admiring the tight-knit battle going on in front of them.Also not wanting to distract either opponent, which could turn out to be deadly if either one lost their concentration.

Jacen blocked Tenal Ka's thrust at his knees, countering with a swipe of his own.Tenal Ka jumped harmlessly out of the way, bringing her knees up to her chest and then planting her feet firmly on the ground where Jacen's emerald blade no longer was.

She was sweating now, much to her dismay, which amused Jacen to no end to see how much of a challenge he was proving to be for her.He pressed his attack, feinting to the right and then slashing at Tenal Ka's midsection.Anticipating Jacen's movements, and too close to him to use her own blade to block it, she did a backwards flip, landing a few feet in front of his extended blade.

This time, however, when her booted feet made contact with the hard surface, her legs had difficulty supporting the rest of her body weight.Failing to summon the strength to maintain her balance, Tenal Ka felt her knees buckling beneath her.

Jacen was instantly aware something was wrong the moment his blade completed the swipe through open air where Tenal Ka's body no longer was.He saw it all happen in a matter of seconds.The look of surprise and horror on her face when her legs began to tremble and then collapsed beneath her.Luckily enough, Tenal Ka had the presence of mind to shut off her deadly blade before it sliced through her exposed legs. 

He was at her side in a heartbeat, Anakin and Tahiri right there with him.

Tenal Ka tried to get up but her legs refused to cooperate.That was a probably a good thing since she was not sure if she could keep standing once on her feet.

"I'm all right," she insisted to them, and on her second try managed to get to her feet with Tahiri's assistance.

Jacen frowned.Why did she have to be so stubborn?But he did not dare tell the proud warrior girl that he thought otherwise.He would rather take his chances with a group of piranha beetles.

Tenal Ka gently shook Tahiri off now that she was able to stand on her own.Hooking her lightsaber onto the utility belt she wore around her waist, she turned without a word and headed in the direction of the ship's sleeping area, having endured enough embarrassment for one day.

Tahiri nudged Jacen."Go after her,"

"She doesn't want me to,"

"You don't know that,"

_Yes I do_, Jacen thought, but followed Tahiri's advice regardless and went after Tenal Ka.

The ship was relatively small, so he caught up to her in moments.He opened his mouth to speak but Tenal Ka beat him to it.

"I am sorry I ruined our training session," she apologized.

"It's no big deal," Jacen assured her.

She said nothing and continued walking.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he said, trying a different approach to get her to open up to him as they reached the first of two sleeping cabins on the ship. 

"I know that," she said softly.She knew what he was trying to do, and it was working.She wanted so badly to tell him, but she couldn't, not yet.

He could see it in her face that she wanted to open up to him, but there was something holding her back.What was she trying so hard to keep hidden from him?

Knowing that she would not be able to keep her secret any longer if she continued to stare into those deep brandy brown eyes of his, Tenal Ka moved away from him and walked into the cabin without saying another word.She did not breathe easier until the door was closed behind her and she was truly alone. 


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Author's Note: Jaina's dream (except for the last 7 paragraphs) was taken from the Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights book "Jedi Under Siege" by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.

And now back to the story…

CHAPTER SIX

"Jaina, do you have a minute?"Jacen asked, poking his head into the _Lightning Rod's_ cockpit.

"Sure, what's on you mind?" She said, turning her seat so she was facing him.

He took a seat beside her."You're a woman, right?"

"That's what everyone keeps telling me." She gave her brother a sympathetic look."Tenal Ka's still giving you the silent treatment?"

Jacen shrugged."You could say that,"

"And you think, being a woman myself, I can give you advice on how to deal with one?"

"Well, yeah,"

Jaina chuckled."Tenal Ka's not like any other woman, Jace.I don't think the traditional advice on females applies to her anymore than it does a droid."

"I'm so glad you were able to help me,"

A beeping on the console in front of Jaina caught her attention. 

"The one piece of advice I can give you, " she began, while she worked the controls in front of her, "is to give her some time.When she's ready to open up to you, she will," Jaina caught the irony in her own words._Maybe I should follow my own advice_.

Jacen said, "how can I do that when I don't even know what I did to make her act like this in the first place?"

Jaina didn't answer him right away.She concentrated solely on bringing the ship out of hyperspace.Easing down on the lever in front of her, she looked out the forward view port and saw the stars coming back into focus as the ship shot out into normal space.

A relatively small planet hung in space in front of them.The sensors identified it as Dundas.It did not look all that different from many of the other worlds Jaina had visited in her lifetime.Large green landmasses and bodies of water, which the sensors identified as heavily polluted, covered a large portion of the northern area of the planet, while there the southern hemisphere appeared to be mostly barren and rocky.Jaina picked up a significant number of life forms in the south, and came to the conclusion they were probably smugglers in hiding. 

Taking her eyes off the planet in front of her, Jaina punched in the coordinates that would take them to the spaceport in the city Dienya, wherethe files on Dundas had said many of the larger gangs made their home.While she did that, she said to her brother, "I hate to bring your ego back down to human size, Jacen, but did it ever cross your mind that the way Tenal Ka's acting has nothing to do with you?"

Jacen let his sister's words sink in.He had just assumed that the reason for Tenal Ka's distant behavior towards him was because of something _he_ had done.It seemed to be the obvious conclusion, but now…

Jaina watched as her brother sat there absorbing what she had just told him.Obviously, it had never occurred to him that whatever was going on with Tenal Ka had nothing to do with him.She had done him a favour by showing him that the galaxy – which included Tenal Ka – did not revolve around Jacen Solo.

"Come on, lover boy," she said, grabbing his arm, "your love life will have to wait.We have work to do,"

Pushing his thoughts aside, Jacen let his sister drag him to the _Lightning Rod's _exit hatch.They had more than just an assignment to complete here on Dundas.Zekk's very life might depend on the outcome of this mission, and Jacen did not want any distractions to get in the way of helping his friend.

"Charming place," Jacen noted wryly, as the group entered the main spaceport of the city Dienya.

"It doesn't get any better from here," Zekk said to him.

They had arrived late in the evening, but the spaceport was still bustling with activity as smugglers, merchants, and numerous other rough-looking humans and aliens went about their business – legal or otherwise.There were at least a dozen different illuminated signs in their vicinity indicating cantinas and gambling facilities, along with other questionable places open for business to the public.Most of the beings they passed had at least one blaster strapped to them.It was probably safe to say many of them also had other hidden weaponry on them, ready to defend themselves at the first sign of trouble, or if they were provoked.

Once they were out of there, and entered the actual city of Dienya, Jaina understood what had Zekk meant.

Most of the street lamps were burnt out, leaving the alleyways looking ominous and threatening.The darkness helped to disguise some of the rundown buildings, but it could not hide everything.Some looked like they were being lived in, while others that appeared to have been abandoned had various markings – likely gang related, on the windows and sides of them.

Jaina shivered as a cool chill went up her spine.For some reason she could not shake the feeling that they were being watched.Maybe she was just restless after being locked up in the ship for so long, but she didn't think that was it at all.

She glanced at her wrist chrono.They had arrived later than she had anticipated, and it would be difficult to start searching now in the dark of night when they didn't know their way around the city.

"Maybe we should find some place to spend the night, and start looking first thing in the morning," she suggested.

No one disagreed, since it was late already and they were all a little tired from the long trip through hyperspace.Starting off fresh in the morning seemed like a good idea to everyone, and they set off in search of a place to spend the night. 

_"I won't fight you anymore, Zekk," she said, switching off her lightsaber and tossing it to the ground.There's still good in you, but you'll have to decide which direction you want to go – starting now."_

_Surprise and anger and confusion chased each other across Zekk's face."How do you know I won't kill you?"_

_Jaina shrugged."I don't know that.But I won't fight you.Make your choice."Jaina pushed back her straight brown hair and looked directly into Zekk's eyes with calm assurance – not assurance that he wouldn't harm her, but assurance that she had done the right thing._

_"Well, what are you waiting for?" she whispered._

_Zekk raised his glowing red lightsaber over Jaina's head.The hum of the lightsaber filled Jaina's ears as her former friend brought it slowly down toward her neck."You never understood, Jaina…. You can't understand.You've always been so protected.The dark side is like a scar that's on the _inside_."_

_Zekk's eyes locked with hers.His hand remained steady, and he began speaking in a low voice."But these are scars that can't be healed," he went on."You can try to cover them up" – hum; buzz – "but they're still there… underneath."_

_Jaina could feel the energy blade edging closer and closer to the exposed skin of her neck.But the buzzing sound had disappeared, along with her Uncle Luke and the rest of the Jedi trainees gathered around them. It was just she and Zekk now._

_Had she guessed wrong?Was Zekk really that far gone that she had been a fool to try and save him?_

_His lightsaber was almost touching her now.She could already feel the scorching heat of the blade singing the exposed flesh of her neck.The pain was excruciating, but she didn't flinch.She continued to keep her gaze looked on Zekk._

_His blade suddenly stopped where it was, and this time when Zekk looked at her, she thought she saw a flicker of sadness in his blazing emerald eyes._

_He leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a barely audible voice, "you can't save me, Jaina.No one can. Once you let the dark side in, it's with you forever.No matter how hard you try to forget it or pretend its not there, it still hovers over you waiting for that moment of weakness when you'll give into it."He backed away from her, still holding his lightsaber out in front of him."You should have stayed away from me.Forgot I ever existed," he said to her, anger creeping into his voice._

_Jaina shook her head defiantly."Never, you're my friend," she said, choking over the last word._

_Zekk narrowed his gaze at her, his eyes clouding over with darkness."No, I'm not," he said, raising his blade above his head, "I'm your enemy," and plunged his blood-red lightsaber towards her chest with full force – _

Gasping for air, Jaina bolted upright in her bed, heart pounding furiously and body trembling uncontrollably.She unraveled herself from her twisted bed sheets and threw them to the floor where her blanket already lay.Her straight brown hair was a sweaty, tangled mess, with clumps of it plastered to her face.She called on a Jedi calming technique to the slow the beating of her heart, but it had no effect.

Even though she was sweating, she felt cold.Hugging her arms around herself, she thought, _it had been so real_.

She looked around the room she was in, momentarily forgetting that she was on Dundas sharing some rundown motel room with Tenal Ka and Tahiri.The guys were sharing their own room across the hall.They did not have the luxury of many places to choose from to spend the night, so had ended up settling for a place called the Spacer's Dive, a cheap, second rate motel run by a scruffy looking Rybet.Jaina would have been much more comfortable squished together with everyone else on the _Lightning Rod._The only problem with that was if word got around you were sleeping on your ship it was assumed it had items of high value onboard, so you could expect to run into unruly individuals wanting to take a peek at your cargo.

Jaina glanced at the sleeping forms of her two friends, relieved that her fitful dream had not woken them up.

She tried closing her eyes to get some perspective on her nightmare, but kept seeing Zekk in his Dark Jedi armored outfit towering over her.She had dreamt about her battle with Zekk that day in front of the Jedi Academy every night for weeks afterward, but had not experienced that nightmare in almost two years.It had ended different this time though.Zekk was supposed to have trusted her, renounced the dark side and come back to the light, just as he had done in real life.This time she had been unable to save him.He had said he was _her_ enemy and then swung his blade to kill her.That was when she had waken up.

She wasn't sure what had triggered the dream but it had left her shaken.It was possible that the story Zekk had told her about what he did on Nar Shaddaa as part of the Shadow Academy had affected her deeper than she had thought.Or maybe it was something more.Was it the future reveling itself?She did not want to believe in the possibility of Zekk turning back to his former self.

During her tenure at the Jedi Academy, her Uncle Luke had often spoken about Jedi, including himself, who had had visions of the future.He told them it was difficult to determine which were just dreams and which were actually visions of one possible future.Even if it was a vision, Luke had explained that the future itself was always in motion so it did not necessarily mean that it would come true.

She chided herself for letting an old nightmare get her so worked up.Zekk had worked too long and hard to get to where he was today to throw it all away.If he were reverting back to his old self she would have felt it.

Jaina believed in her heart that Zekk would never turn back to his old ways, but even that faith couldn't stop her from spending the rest of the night lying awake in her bed, haunted by images of an uncertain future.

There are still 8 more chapters to come, so keep the reviews coming and let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

A light, early morning rain fell onto the shoulders of Anakin and Tahiri as they explored some of the less savory areas in Dienya.Not that the rest of the city was any better.Rundown buildings that looked like they had needed maintenance decades ago and were now beyond repair, stretched as far as the eye could see.

Anakin pushed his soaked dark hair out of his face, wanting to keep his vision completely un-obscured.He had an uneasy feeling inside of him that had remained with him since they had first landed on Dundas.It was not like he and Tahiri hadn't been in some rough spots before, in fact, places much worse then this.The most trouble they were likely to find here would be some rowdy locals looking for a fight, and that would be no problem for the two of them to handle.

Despite the weather, the streets and shops in the area were bustling with the usual activity – legal and illegal.Mostly the latter.

With no specific destination in mind, just trying to find somewhere where they could get information, Tahiri and Anakin walked at a leisurely pace, trying their best to blend in with the crowd of thieves, con artists and other low life's.It wasn't too hard, considering the both of them had forgone their usual Jedi robes, and were instead clad in the less conspicuous clothes of street kids.Both wore scuff-marked boots, stained pilot pants and dirty shirts.The only variation between them was Anakin had thrown on an old utility vest over his shirt that had belonged to his father back in his scoundrel days, and Tahiri had donned a beaten up gray cap, which covered part of her golden hair, while the rest hung wildly around her shoulders.

As they approached a darkened alleyway Tahiri narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Something doesn't feel right," she murmured to Anakin. 

He felt it too.Something that stood out from the ordinary, everyday chaos going on around them.The tingling feeling at the back of his neck got stronger the closer they approached the alley.Reaching inside his vest, Anakin found his lightsaber that he had hidden there.He barely had the weapon out from its hiding spot and turned on, when five scruffy-looking teens appeared out of the shadows of the alleyway.None of them looked like they had seen a shower in weeks, and the weapons they carried looked like they had been outdated even when the Emperor was in power.Of course, that did not mean they still could not cause a lot of damage.

Beside him, he heard Tahiri power up her own lightsaber.

"Well, well, well.What do we have here?"Mocked the teen with greasy black hair."Two Jedi, eh?Karsay said you would come.Too bad you're not the right one," he said with a sneer and leveled his ancient blaster at them.

_Karsay_.Anakin let the name seep into his memory.Now at least they knew the name of the person who was after Zekk.His probing with the force into the other man's mind confirmed that.

"What does Karsay want with this other Jedi?"Tahiri asked, keeping her sapphire coloured blade steady in front of her, ready for an attack from any angle.

The greasy haired youth crossed his arms over his chest and said smugly,"I'm not at liberty to say,"

They could have easily taken the information they needed from their minds and been on their way, and there would have been nothing the rag-tag group of bully's could do. Anakin, though, preferred to avoid following that path unless it was absolutely necessary.

"We're willing to pay for what you know," Anakin told him.

"I'm sure we can work something out," the teen leered, letting his gaze fall on Tahiri.

Something inside Anakin snapped when he saw the way the dirty teen was eyeing his best friend up and down.Unable to control what he did next, and forgetting everything he had learned in his years of training to be a Jedi, Anakin grabbed the arrogant teen by the throat and slammed him up against the concrete building faster than any of his companions could draw their weapons.Fire blazed in Anakin's eyes as he let his gaze tear into the suffocating person in front of him.All he had to do was increase his pressure just by the smallest fraction and he would crush the other's esophagus. 

"Anakin, stop it," Tahiri cried.

He ignored her, completely engrossed with the pathetic excuse for a human being that was at his mercy.He felt the rest of the street kids behind him raise their weapons at him, but before they could fire, he used his free hand to command the force to knock the blasters out of their hands, sending them clanging to the ground.

"Call them off," Anakin snarled, "_now_," 

The youth did nothing, continuing to flail uselessly against Anakin's hold on him."If you value your life, I suggest you tell them to leave their weapons where they are and tell them to back off,"

"Do as he says," the greasy haired youth croaked.When they hesitated, he gasped, "just do it!" 

The group reluctantly left their weapons on the ground and backed up to the edge of the alleyway.

"Have you lost your mind?You're going to kill him," Tahiri exclaimed, tugging at Anakin's arm trying to get his attention.

"Tahiri, let me handle this," he snapped.

She let go of him then and took an involuntary step back.His voice was as cold as Hoth.He sounded like a complete stranger to her, and that's what scared her the most.At that moment she wasn't sure what he was capable of.She felt the rage bubbling inside of him and in each word he spoke.In all the years they had been friends, she had never seen him act like this.He had always worked so hard to keep his emotions under control, not wanting to suffer the same fate as his grandfather.The same fate that many expected him to succumb to with a name like Anakin.

"Now you're going to tell me everything you know about what Karsay wants with that other Jedi," Anakin growled at him.He loosened his grip just enough so the youth could speak without gasping for air.The thug looked at Anakin with frightened eyes, but said nothing.

"I could take it from your mind by force if I have to," Anakin warned him.

That was more than enough to convince the youth to spill everything he knew.

"He's after someone named Zekk.He wants revenge for something Zekk did to him years ago.Karsay staged the whole attack on Yavin Four knowing it would lead Zekk straight to him.Karsay's had his men watching you since you landed, so wherever Zekk goes, his men will be there waiting for him."

Anakin's grip slackened some more.If Zekk was walking into a trap, then so was his sister.He had to contact them and warn them.

"That's all I know.I swear," the young man said in a terrified voice, unsure of what Anakin intended to with him.

"He's telling the truth, Anakin," Tahiri confirmed, " now let him go.Or have you completely lost it and forgotten everything Master Skywalker has taught you?"

Those last words penetrated through his seething anger, just as she had intended them to.He had given into his anger so easily, and without a second thought had been ready – and willing – to kill.

He relaxed his grip completely on the young man in front of him.Not wanting to press his luck, the teen moved away from Anakin as quickly as his feet would take him.Needing no further encouragement, the rest of his gang gathered their fallen weapons and took off after their friend down the alley, fleeing the two Jedi Knights.

Trembling after what he had just done, Anakin dropped his hands to his sides so Tahiri couldn't see them shaking.He looked down at his feet, afraid to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I don't know what came over me,"

For the first time in her life Tahiri found herself at a loss for words.What did one say to someone who had brushed so closely to the dark side?Especially when that someone was your best friend.

He looked up at her then, his expression full of shame, but he did not know what else to say.

She made a move to place a comforting hand on his arm but stopped herself just short of doing so._This is ridiculous_, she scolded herself,_ Anakin would never hurt you_.But her reluctance to touch him was more out of the fact that she was mad at him for what he had done because he thought he had been protecting her then anything else.She saw him flinch at the anger she was directing at him.

He moved towards her."Tahiri, I'm – "

"We need to warn Jaina and Zekk," she interrupted him.

Anakin nodded.He knew they had to put behind them what had just happened for the time being.Zekk and his sister's safety was their first priority.

He used his wrist comm to contact Jaina, frowning when he failed to get an answer.He tried Zekk's comm and got the same result.He swallowed hard.A bad feeling beginning to settle in the pit of his stomach.

"She's not answering," he said at last.

"Did you try Zekk's comm?"

"He's not answering his either,"

A look of fear passed between them, as they realized it might already be too late.Both feeling the same sense of urgency, they raced out of the alley and in the general direction Zekk and Jaina had been heading.Tahiri contacted Jacen and Tenal Ka on her own wrist comm, telling them to meet her and Anakin at the Raging Rancor, a cantina on the other side of town, which was where Jaina and Zekk had intended to begin their search.Jacen and Tenal Ka didn't ask any questions.They must have felt the same impending doom that if they did not reach the Raging Rancor soon, they might never see their friends alive again.


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Raging Rancor.Notorious on Dundas for attracting the scum of society, rowdy bar fights, and playing loud, deafening music.It was the type of place you wouldn't want to walk in to unarmed, unless you had a death wish.The building itself was made out of some type of concrete, with no identifiable markings on it save for the sign hanging above the doorway. All the shutters on the windows were sealed tight, and those that were without shutters had been boarded up from the inside.No one could see inside or the other way around, which was the way many of its customers wanted it.

"You ready for this?"Zekk asked Jaina beside him.

Jaina forced a Solo grin onto her face."I'm ready for anything,"

"That's good," Zekk said as they reached the door, "because here is where anything can happen."He opened the door and slipped inside, with Jaina right behind him.

Jaina found her senses being attacked by a dozen different things at once the moment she walked inside.The musty smell of too many alien species crammed in the same place for too long filled the air, while thick clouds of smoke settling around them made it nearly impossible to breathe if you were not used to being in this kind of atmosphere.A twenty year-old jukebox sat in the corner of the room blaring some racket that Jaina assumed was supposed to be music, though to her ears it sounded more like noise.

A few customers turned in their booths to regard the newcomers, but most were too interested in their drinks and gambling games to pay any real attention to them.

Her father had told her many stories while she had been growing up about the less respectable beings of society that hung out in dives like this.Jaina recalled the one piece of advice Han Solo had given her and her brothers a couple of years back if they ever found themselves in this type of environment: _don't make eye contact with anyone unless you're looking to get yourself killed_.She did not doubt her father had learned this from his own first-hand experiences during his smuggling days.

She watched how calm and comfortable Zekk appeared to be with his current surroundings.Obviously, his childhood of living in the lower levels of Courscant along with his time spent as a bounty hunter were what made him so at ease.He was used to being in these types of places.Jaina herself tried to emulate the confidence that was radiating off of Zekk.

She had not mentioned her 'dream' to him.If she did, he would probably just worry about her still not being able to trust him, even though she did.Besides, it was not like she had never had a nightmare before.It would be a waste of both of their time's to dredge up the past just because of some meaningless dream.And Jaina was convinced it was just that.

Catching her eye, Zekk pointed with his chin towards the bar, indicating they should start their search there.

Pushing their way through the swirling clouds of smoke and noisy customers, the two finally managed to reach the bar that was currently being worked by a furry bothan.Zekk ordered himself a drink and one for his 'partner'.When the bothan returned a moment later with their drinks, Zekk leaned forward and said in a low voice, yet loud enough to be heard over the commotion in the bar, "we're looking for some information,"

The bothan bartender snorted, causing the fur around his face to ripple."Isn't everyone?Well, I suppose you've come to the right place.That is, if you can afford to pay,"

"We can pay," Jaina assured him, though she knew her and Zekk had limited funds on them and were not carrying anything of real value to bargain with.

_We'll cross that bridge when we get to it,_ she thought silently.

"That's good, because that man over there," began the bartender, pointing to a human on the left side of the room sitting alone in a corner booth, "should be able to help you,"

Zekk nodded his thanks, and moved away from the bar.When they were no more than halfway to the secluded booth, Zekk whispered in Jaina's ear, "keep your guard up,"

Jaina nodded, keeping her expression neutral.If it was a trap, they didn't want to tip off their ambushers that they _knew_ it was a trap too soon.

Zekk forced a calm look onto his face, while Jaina tensed beside him, silently praying that they would not be forced to draw their lightsabers and blow their cover.

Feeling, rather than seeing the imminent danger, Zekk's instincts told him to drop to the ground, and he did, tackling Jaina with him.And not a moment too soon either, as a blaster bolt sizzled by where he had just been standing less than a split second before. Rolling off of Jaina, Zekk pulled himself to his feet with a snarl.He had already been shot at more times in the past week then during his entire time as a bounty hunter.Enough was enough.While Jaina hauled herself to her feet, Zekk stood facing the group that had ambushed them, pointing his blaster at each one of them in turn, ready to fire on any overly anxious shooter.

"We don't want any trouble," Zekk said to them.

"And there won't be, if you just hand over your weapons and come with us," said the man with the close cut blonde hair.

"Fat chance of that happening," Jaina muttered.

Zekk turned to her then, giving her a look she knew all too well before turning back to face their attackers.

"All right," Zekk said, slowly moving his hand with the blaster in it towards the floor in a surrendering gesture, "have it – your way!"Before his weapon touched the ground, he whipped out his lightsaber and _shoved_ the surprised attackers backward, trying to buy himself some time to come up with a plan that did not involve killing everyone that tried to stop him and Jaina from escaping.

By now, the customers that had any common sense left had rushed out of there before the real battle got started, while the rest had hid under their tables in hopes of avoiding becoming the victim of any stray shots.

"Got any bright ideas?"Said Jaina.

"I'm fresh out," he replied grimly.

"Well, then," Jaina began in a determined voice, "I guess we're going to have to get out of here the old fashioned way."Igniting her brilliant violet blade, she charged forward.

Jaina had gone no more then two steps when an invisible hand reached out and snatched her, stopping her dead in her tracks.She was lifted off her feet and hurled across the room, crashing into a wooden table that splintered apart with the impact.Unable to maintain her hold on her lightsaber, it flew through the air, landing with a dull metallic thud on the hard floor.

Dazed from the collision with the table, she just laid there trying to keep herself from slipping into unconsciousness.She could hear repeated blaster fire and Zekk shouting something at her, but at the moment she could not spare the energy to listen to what he was saying. 

Ticked off at herself for underestimating the enemy, she muttered a curse under her breath, realizing she could have gotten herself killed for acting so hastily.Those guys could use the force, well, at least some of them could, which was going to make getting out of there alive a whole lot more interesting. 

Confident that she could stand up now, Jaina staggered to her feet, only to find Zekk surrounded by six men, all holding deadly looking blaster rifles at him.Three more were heading in her direction.Searching the ground for a weapon, Jaina noticed her lightsaber laying no more than fifteen feet away from her.Reaching out her mind, she called the weapon to her – 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," cautioned the guy with the blonde hair who had fired at them initially."I could blast it into a million pieces before you even turn it on."Not giving her a chance to think about it, the man used the force to yank her towards him.She struggled against his hold, but was still too stunned to make any real attempt to break out of it.She was shoved beside Zekk, who was clenching his fists and glowering at those holding him at blaster point.Together, he and Jaina could have easily snatched their attackers weapons away from them, but with the added factor of some of them possessing rather strong control in the force, it would not be as simple a thing to accomplish.

A repetitive beeping sound was coming from Jaina's wrist, but she was in no position to answer it.Neither was Zekk when his own wrist comm went off.The men with their blasters trained on them tightened their grip, not willing to take any chances of their prisoners getting off a quick distress message.

Zekk wished he could create some kind of diversion long enough to get out a quick call for help to whoever was comming them.He knew Jaina was thinking the same thing.

The entire time this was going on, Zekk watched the blonde man conversing in a hushed tone with someone beside him.He perked his ears, hoping to catch what they were talking about.What he did hear sent a shiver down his spine.

"It looks like you're a pretty sought after piece of merchandise here on Dundas, Zekk," the blonde man said.He appeared to be the leader of the bunch.

"I'm flattered," Zekk replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"You should be.The man who's looking for you is paying a hefty sum to whoever captures you alive,"

"Then maybe you could enlighten me as to who wants me so badly,"

The leader of the group smiled coldly at him."All in good time,"

A dark haired teen wearing a grimy cap whispered something in the ear of the blonde leader, who nodded in silent agreement.

"You're right, Shjon, nothing was said about a reward for the girl's capture," he indicated with his hand to the man on his left, "get rid of her."

Zekk felt his heart constrict in his chest.Mind whirling, he shouted, "no, wait!"

But it was too late.The blue arc of a stun beam enveloped him, knocking him into oblivion before he could catch a glimpse of Jaina's own fate.


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

Moving as fast as his aching feet would allow him, Jacen made his way through the dirt-caked and sometimes rocky forest floor, all the while trying to keep up with Tenal Ka's faster–than–lightspeed pace.

More than eight hours ago, he had been walking through the streets of Dienya with Tenal Ka, when through the strong connection in the force he shared with Jaina, he heard his twin sister crying out, bringing him to his knees in pain.Less than a minute later, he received a comm call from Tahiri saying Jaina and Zekk were in trouble.

The Raging Rancor had been a thirty-minute walk from Jacen's position, but running, he and Tenal Ka managed to make it there in fifteen minutes flat.Joined by Anakin and Tahiri, they made their way into the cantina only to discover they had gotten there too late.

An obvious struggle had taken place judging by the scorched blaster marks on the ceiling and walls, probably from Jaina and Zekk deflecting shots with their lightsabers.In one corner there had been a bothan, who looked to be the owner of the place, grumbling to himself as he cleaned up the remains of a broken table.

The group had made their way to where Zekk and Jaina appeared to have made their final stand, and looked for any clues that might lead them to their missing friends.Save for Jaina's lightsaber, they did not finding anything of significant importance, and certainly nothing that would lead them to the beings that had attacked them.

Through questioning those who were present at the time of the attack, including the bartender – even though they had to empty their pockets most times to get the smallest tidbit of information, and most of the time it turned out to be useless anyways.When that ran out they had to _suggest_ that each patron tell them everything they knew.By combining that with questions about a man named Karsay, who Tahiri and Anakin had found out was the person behind the attack on Zekk on Yavin Four, they managed to come up with the location of Karsay's fortress, along with a few other surprises.The most surprising one being that Karsay was a force user, with quite a few of his followers possessing some sort of force talent as well.

Karsay had located his fortress – which use to be a warehouse of some sort – far away from any sort of civilization.The only way to get there was from the air or on foot through the forests.There were too many parts of dense foliage to risk taking a speeder through.

Tenal Ka and Jacen had volunteered to take the tougher route, so Anakin had flown them in the _Lightning Rod_ over the forest, letting them off no more than half a day's walk from the fortress.

_Of course_, Jacen mused, _the way Tenal Ka walks will cut down the amount of time down considerably_.Not that he was complaining or anything.In fact, he more than appreciated her stamina and athletic skills at a time like this.While this non-stop hike through sometimes treacherous terrain was no problem for her, it pushed Jacen to his limits.If Tenal Ka could keep going though, then so could he.After all, with his sister and Zekk's life likely depending on their little rescue operation, Jacen was more than willing to stand a little discomfort.He could rest all he wanted when this was over and Jaina and Zekk were safe again.

They had agreed on the drop off spot of a half day, to ensure they avoided detection by any sensors that would alert the fortress to their presence.Anakin and Tahiri planned to get the _Lightning Rod_ as close to the fortress as they dared, and then land the ship.That way, if they needed to make a quick getaway, like they usually did, the ship would be near by.

Together, Tahiri and Anakin would scout the perimeter of the fortress for any guards and look for a back door to get them in undetected.Then they were to wait there for Jacen and Tenal Ka to arrive.The four of them together stood a better chance at a successful rescue mission than half that number.The plan was for Jacen and Tenal Ka to slip in the back door while Anakin and Tahiri created a diversion out front.In theory, it seemed like a simple enough plan, but past experiences had taught Jacen that things hardly ever went as planned.

Jacen felt this time would be no different.He feared his impulsive younger brother might take matters into his own hands if he and Tahiri arrived first.Anakin had a tendency to act first and think second.

Heading up a steady incline, Jacen stumbled on some loose rocks.Without too much trouble he regained his footing, and looked up to see how far Tenal Ka had gotten ahead of him.It was not as far as he thought.

To any casual observer or person that did not know her well, Tenal Ka would appear as limber as ever, not breaking a stride.Jacen, though, knew her better than most people and had noticed her speed had declined ever so slightly in the last ten minutes.They had been 'walking' for more hours than Jacen cared to think about, and although it was perfectly normal to feel even a little bit tired, Tenal Ka would never admit to it out loud.It went against her nature.She had become more open since she and Jacen had finally become a couple, but she would never admit to any physical activity being beyond her capacity to handle.So it was up to Jacen to show the warrior girl that she too had her limits, without actually saying the words and damaging the pride of the woman he loved.

"Hey," Jacen shouted up ahead to her, "maybe we should take a break,"

After walking in silence for so long with nothing but the sounds of nature around them, Tenal Ka was startled at the sound of Jacen's voice, but managed to recover quickly.

She eyed him over; noticing the varying degree of rips and tears in his pants and jacket.He looked exhausted, although she sensed that had not been the reason behind his asking for a brief rest.Scowling, Tenal Ka realized that it was because he thought _she _needed a break.True, her pace had slackened slightly in the last little while but she thought the change had been unnoticeable.

"Jacen, I do not require rest," she assured him.

"Well, maybe you don't," he said sitting down and leaning against a tree trunk, "but I do.Some of us around here are only human,"

She could not help but smile as she went to join him.He was willing to put aside his own pride rather than embarrass her into admitting she was a little fatigued.

"I thought I'd never see that smile of yours again," Jacen said to her as she took a seat on hard ground beside him, tossing her braided hair out of her face.She took off the survival pack she was carrying and put it down beside her.

She quirked an eyebrow up at him."I would not be myself if I did that all the time,"

He grinned."That's true.I mean people might start thinking you're possessed or something if you smiled all the time."

She let out a small, very un-Tenal Ka like giggle at his comment.It had been so long since the last time they had sat down together and just talked, that she had almost forgotten how easily he could make everything else going on around them seem unimportant.

He was staring at her now, and she was afraid that if he stared into her eyes long enough he would find out the truth.

Abruptly, she picked herself up off the ground, brushing off stray insects that had made their way onto her bare arms and legs."I will scout ahead to see how far we have come, while you wait here," she said in a gruff tone.She sprinted off further into the depths of the forest, until it swallowed her up and Jacen could no longer see her.

Leaning back against the tree, he waited for her to return.

A dark gray object caught his eye, and he noticed Tenal Ka had left her pack behind.It was no big deal since she would be returning shortly, but for some reason Jacen could not stop the overwhelming urge inside of him to open the pack and go through it.He knew it would be an enormous invasion of her privacy, and she would probably never forgive him if he did it, but in the back of his mind he had a hunch that in it he would find the answers to her strange behaviour in recent days.

Showing a lot less restraint than a Jedi Knight should, he grabbed the pack and opened it, rummaging around inside for anything out of the ordinary: canteen of water, food rations, extra throwing knives in their sheaths, a small cylinder container…

He snatched the bottle out of the bag.The label read:_Acetaminophen Ranitidine_.He unscrewed the cap to find the container full of medium sized indigo coloured capsules.

"What in force's name is she doing with this?"He muttered to himself.Jacen was no medical expert but he knew a prescription for medication when he saw one.Unfortunately, he had no idea what these pills were for.Curious as ever, he searched the rest of the pack but did not find anything else of interest.

Suddenly, overcome with guilt for invading Tenal Ka's privacy without a second thought, he quickly put the container of pills back in her pack, and carefully laid it where she had left it.

And not a moment too soon.

As quiet as a predator stalking its prey, Tenal Ka made her way back to the spot where she had left him.Had he not been able to pick up on her presence so easily through the force, her sudden appearance would have made him jump right out of his skin.

"We still have a significant amount of ground to cover," Tenal Ka said the moment she reached his side,"I could not get a glimpse of any clearing,"

She bent down and opened her pack, sifting through the items until she pulled out her canteen.Jacen gave a guilty start when she opened the pack, but quickly covered it up before she could notice.

"I guess we better get moving, huh?"

Removing the canteen from her lips, she said, "this is a fact," then placed the canteen back into her pack and swung it over her shoulders.

Jacen picked up his own survival pack that he had brought along and started after her.

He found himself struck with the realization that he had been wrong.After going through her belongings he found himself with still no answers and even more questions.His sister had been right.Tenal Ka's distant behaviour had nothing to do with him, at least not directly as far as he knew.The only thing he knew for sure was that whatever was going on with Tenal Ka was a lot more serious than he had originally thought.


	10. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

Slowly, making his way back to consciousness, Zekk could already feel the nauseating after effects of the stun beams' blast setting in.Forcing his emerald eyes open, his vision was hazy at first, but gradually his surroundings came into focus.He was lying sideways on a cold metal surface, most likely a floor.The room itself appeared to have no other objects in it besides an oblong desk in front of a large oval window.Carefully, so he would not add to his already pounding headache, Zekk moved his eyes and reached out with his senses to try and figure out where he was.He soon discovered he was not alone in the room.

"Welcome back, Zekk," said a voice that was anything but welcoming. "For someone who calls himself a Jedi Knight, you sure took long enough to come around," the voice mocked.

A stabbing pain in Zekk's side made him cry out in pain as a booted foot came into contact with his ribs.Rolling over onto his back, Zekk squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain to go away.

"I hope that didn't hurt too much, because you and I have a lot of catching up to do, _old friend_,"

The voice was closer now, as if it were standing over him.Zekk opened his eyes once more, blinking away the bright light coming from above him.A dark shadow loomed over him, and as his vision cleared the shadow displayed the features of two eyes, a nose, and a mouth that was curved upwards into a vicious sneer.The face penetrated its way into Zekk's memory, all the way to the back of his brain where he had shoved all his most agonizing memories in an effort to forget they existed.As much as he wanted to he could no longer deny the ghost from his past that was glaring down at him.

"Karsay," he breathed.

"In the flesh," Karsay acknowledged, "you look a little surprised to see me up and around,"

Zekk stared up at him in disbelief.It was indeed him.His hair had changed from dark brown to spiky bleach blonde, but besides that everything else about him had remained the same.He had the same evil gleam in his granite gray eyes, the same muscular build and cocky air surrounding him.Two lightsabers were dangling from their clipped position at his waist.One was the unimaginative design that had been mass-produced by the Shadow Academy at one time, while the other was intricately crafted to represent a unique extension of its owner. 

Everything was happening too fast for Zekk.Memories flooding through his mind that he did not want to remember.He went to get up but immediately stumbled back to the ground.Looking over himself, he found stun cuff binders attached to his wrists and ankles, which were bounded together with long, heavy metal chains that were fastened to the floor.

Getting a good look at Karsay, he said in an even voice, "you're dead,"

Karsay let out a throaty laugh."You'd like that, wouldn't you?So you can go on believing that you managed to stab me in the back and lived to talk about it."

Zekk still would not give up."Brakiss wanted you dead, and he was grateful to me for accomplishing that,"

Karsay gave him a pitying look."Did it ever occur to you, in that feeble mind of yours, that your beloved master lied to you?No, I suppose it didn't,"

Karsay went on to explain that when he was brought back to the Shadow Academy with his injuries, the physicians had told Brakiss that he would probably never wake up.Knowing this, Brakiss decided to keep him alive because he never knew if a time would come when he would be short of Dark Jed.One insubordinate Dark Jedi was better then none at all.

"He sent me to a secret Imperial medical installation, where he kept tabs on my progress," explained Karsay, "Some brain activity was all the doctors ever reported back to him.Nothing to get too excited about.

"When I finally woke up, the Second Imperium was gone, and Brakiss with it.The few medical personnel that remained helped me with my recovery until I was strong enough to leave.I came home to Dundas to begin plotting my revenge against you, Zekk.Ever since I regained consciousness, I've eat, sleeped and breathed your name, waiting for the day when I could finally repay you for what you did to me.

"The doctors even gave me a prosthetic replacement for the foot I lost.It looks, and feels," he lashed out with his foot against Zekk's side to prove his point, "just like the real thing,"

Coughing and sputtering for air, Zekk sank to the floor holding onto his side, but refusing to cry out this time.He was certain he had heard something crack with that last crushing blow to his ribs.

Karsay rolled him onto his back, eliciting a small groan from Zekk, and forced Zekk to look at him."I head all about your betrayal to the Second Imperium.Running back to your cowardly Jedi friends, begging them to take you back like the pathetic little street punk you are," he taunted.

"Go to hell," Zekk spat at him.

"I will, one day," he gave Zekk a menacing smile, "but so will you for your crimes,"

"I've made up for the things I did,"

"But you can never erase them.Do you think your friends will ever forget that you betrayed them?And what's to stop them from thinking that you'll do it again?"He grabbed Zekk by the collar of his shirt and shook him."I know the type of cold killer you are.The dark side is still as much a part of you as it was when you were Brakiss' prized pupil,"

Zekk shook his head."No, you're wrong,"

"Am I?You can't change what you are, you only stall the inevitable."

Zekk looked away from Karsay then, not wanting to hear anymore of what he had to say.His eyes locked on his lightsaber hanging at Karsay's side.

Karsay's eyes gleamed when he noticed where Zekk was looking."You continue to deny the truth, but I can feel how badly you want your lightsaber so you can finish the job you started years ago.It's written all over your face,"

Zekk dropped his gaze to the floor.He had to have better control then that or risk his anger taking over, which was exactly what Karsay wanted to happen.He forced a Jedi calming technique through his body in an effort to calm himself down, though he was only partially successful.

Seeing that he was at last beginning to chip away at Zekk's calm exterior, Karsay continued his attempts to provoke him."Come on, Zekk, where's that fiery temper of yours?"

Clenching his teeth, Zekk said nothing.He didn't think he could speak without letting the rage he was feeling inside of him creep into his voice.

Disappointed that he was not getting the rise out of Zekk he had hoped for; Karsay dropped his hands from Zekk's shirt and got to his feet.He was not swayed by Zekk's refusal to cooperate, it would just require a little more persuasion on his part.After all, there was more than one way to skin a vornskr.

"You're just as stubborn as always, Zekk," said Karsay as he got to his desk, "so I'm afraid you leave me with no choice but to do this the hard way."

Zekk was not looking forward to finding out what Karsay meant by that, as the former dark student of Brakiss pressed a flashing green button on his desk making the only door to the room that Zekk could see slide open.

Jaina.

Zekk could barely contain his joy at seeing her alive, and apparently unharmed.However, with a sinking feeling settling in his gut, he began to understand what Karsay meant about 'doing this the hard way.'

"Get your hands off me!"Jaina growled at the guards bringing her in, trying to maneuver out of their grasp.

Zekk recognized one of the guards as the blonde man who had been at the Raging Rancor, while the other one he had never seen before.Without too much effort, he read them both to be force sensitive.

"Brakiss was right about one thing," Karsay said, when he noticed the way Zekk was probing the guards, "not only the pampered individuals of society possess the talent to use the force,"

By the look of the guards and the rough bunch he and Jaina had encountered earlier, Zekk surmised that Karsay had gone searching through the different gangs on Dundas, looking for adepts in the force that Brakiss had missed on his first run through there.It seemed he was even offering positions to those who had no force abilities at all.

Karsay motioned for the two thugs to leave once they had finally managed to drag Jaina into the room.They immediately heeded his request, leaving Jaina alone with Karsay and Zekk.

She glanced over at Zekk to make sure he was all right.He looked a little worse for wear, sitting there chained to the floor, but either then that seemed relatively healthy.That was good because they were going to need all their strength if they wanted to escape there alive.They could not just sit around, hoping their friends were on the way to rescue them.

Jaina could not spare more than a glimpse at Zekk though, because the man he had described to her as Xander Karsay was walking towards her.

"I'm Karsay," he greeted her coolly.

She glared at him."I know who you are,"

Karsay chuckled."I like you already.Too bad Zekk's forcing me to make an example out of you."

Before Jaina could think up a retort, Karsay used his mind to lift her off the ground._Oh no, not again_.But she did not get hurled through the air like before, instead she found herself gasping for air as her airways refused to open and get needed the oxygen into her body.

"This all could have been avoided, Zekk," Karsay was saying. "You forced me to do this, so her death will be on your hands."

"Karsay, let her go.This is between you and me," Zekk said, making an attempt to reason with him.

"You know there's only one way to save her, yet you continue to refuse it."

Zekk fought hard to resist the Dark Jedi's words.He was just goading him into releasing his anger, and Zekk knew it.He also knew if he didn't do something soon, Jaina would die and it would be all his fault.Could he justify giving in to his aggressive feelings if it meant saving someone's life?If he did do that he would revert back to what he had worked so hard to distance himself from.He raked his hands through his dark hair, not knowing what the right thing was to do, but also knowing he could not just sit there watching Jaina being punished for his past mistakes.

It seemed like no matter how hard he tried his dark past kept coming back to haunt him – and now the one person he cared for more than anything else in the universe.The dark side was like a terrible rash that just kept coming back.No matter how hard you tried, you could never truly be free of it.

He forced himself to watch Jaina suffering.Her legs thrashed wildly in the air as she continued to struggle against the invisible hold on her throat.He wished she would look over at him so she could see how sorry he was for getting her into this mess.

Black spots danced in front of Jaina's eyes, as she felt Karsay tightening his grip on her throat.It seemed to be taking forever for all the air to rush out of her body.She had never thought suffocation would be so agonizing.It felt like someone was literally sucking every ounce of breath out of you, until they were sure you would just keel over and die.And that was what was going to happen if she didn't get some air into her lungs soon.

Despite her own struggles to stay alive, she could still feel Zekk fighting his own inner battle.She knew what he wanted to do, but she didn't want him to do that, not even for her.But he was fighting a losing battle, and Jaina couldn't find any strength to lend him that wasn't already being used to keep herself alive.She could feel how close he was to slipping, to taking that final plunge into forbidden territory.

"Zekk, fight it!"She tried to cry out to him but it came out as more of a hoarse croak.

His own anger and frustration was pounding in her head, and he was shouting something at Karsay, but Jaina was beyond comprehending anything now.Anything except the sinister laughter erupting from Karsay's mouth.She knew it would all be over shortly, but she was going to fight until the last ounce of air was sucked out of her.

A bloodthirsty bellow sent her ears ringing, and would have made her breath catch in her throat if she had any left.She was powerless to stop what she knew was happening all over again.

For a second time in his life, Zekk let his hatred and fear dictate his actions.He gave into them hesitantly at first, afraid to let them in again after so long.He tried to control them, but once they started coursing through his body he was powerless to resist all the rewards they had to offer him.Shredding the last of his common sense, he took the final plunge into darkness.


	11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Flying as close to the treetops as he dared, Anakin kept a sharp eye on the _Lightning Rod's_ sensors on the control board in front of him.The starboard engine was only operating at half power so they could slip in slowly and silently.No one would be expecting a ship to sneak in mostly because of the impossibility of the task.It would take some fancy flying and expert navigating to find a wide enough spot on the forest floor to land.

He studied the instruments in front of him."I think we've got about a hundred clicks to go before we better find some place to land," Anakin observed.

From her spot in the co-pilot's chair, Tahiri simply nodded, and continued gazing out the view port, pretending to take interest in the scenery as it passed by them.

She had been acting this way since the incident in the alley earlier that day.He had never seen her like this – quiet and keeping to herself – for as long as he had known her.Talking was like breathing for Tahiri, and sometimes it was impossible for him to get a word in edgewise.She could easily talk enough for the both of them, and usually did.Only recently, since he had come back to his Uncle's Academy to help train students, and picked up his friendship with Tahiri who had remained there to finish her training, did he find himself talking more now than he had his whole life.Maybe his childhood friend was finally starting to rub off on him.He hated the silence between them because it was so uncharacteristic of their friendship.He would give anything just to hear her voice babbling on about something or another.

Finally, unable to take the uncomfortable silence anymore, Anakin said, "I know you're mad at me, Tahiri, but will you just say something?Please?Yell at me or insult me like you used to do, I don't care."

She tore her gaze away from the view port and locked it on him."You can't joke your way out of this,"

He folded his arms over his chest."When have I ever tried to joke my way out of anything?That's my brother's department."

"You know what I mean,"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I never meant for things to get out of hand like they did," 

"Yeah, well, sorry is not good enough," she snapped.

He was taken aback by the harshness in her tone.He had never seen her this angry before.

"You've never gone and just lost it like that before.Do you have any idea how much it scared me to see you so close to giving in to your hate?"

"But it didn't, and I had you there to help me,"

"What happens if there's a next time and I'm not there, huh?You were so close to killing him that I wasn't even sure _I_ could stop you."

"I wouldn't have killed him," he tried to convince her.

She gave him a skeptical look but said nothing.

Sighing, he knew he had no choice but to be honest with her.She would see right through a lie, but they were coming up to the point where they needed to find someplace to land, and he could not afford to be distracted.He could only handle one problem at a time.Staring intently out the forward view port, he tried to discover a clearing large enough to set the ship down on.There were not a lot of choices, so he could not be too picky.

Off to his left though, he thought he found just the right spot.It would be a tight fit but he could make it.

Slowing their decent, he brought the _Lightning_ _Rod_ down past the thick forest foliage, hearing twigs and branches scraping against the outer hull.Zekk would probably never even notice the extra scratches, since the old ship was already covered in them.A small jolt rocked the craft as it settled to the ground, reasonably hidden by the forest greenery.He ran through the shutdown cycle with practiced ease until the last of the engines were quiet.He unbuckled his crash webbing, Tahiri did the same, but neither made a move to get up.

Wearing an anxious expression on his face, Anakin faced her."I wanted to scare him, that's all," he admitted at last.

"Mission accomplished," she congratulated him sarcastically.

"He deserved it," Anakin pressed.

"He didn't do anything wrong,"

Anakin nearly blew a thruster."Was I the only one who saw the way he was looking at you?We both knew exactly what he was thinking,"

"Thinking and then acting out those thoughts are two totally different things," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts,"

Face flushed with anger, she said, "and _you_ should have let _me_ handle it.You were acting like an enraged boyfriend instead of a Jedi," she accused.

He could feel his cheeks warming at the 'boyfriend' comment but Tahiri was too distracted to notice.

"I'm not a child, Anakin.I can take care of myself. I don't need you to protect me,"

He flinched at her rebuke.Not because of the way she said it but because of the truth in her words.He had gone and rescued her when she had no reason to need rescuing."You're right," he said, and he meant it, "it was stupid of me to presume you needed protecting,"

She smiled."I'm glad you see things my way," she said before her tone went back to complete seriousness."But seriously Anakin, I never want you to get all hero on me again. Ever.I don't care if you think you're protecting me.I don't want to be the one responsible for starting you down the dark path.Promise me that,"

"Tahiri – " he began, but quickly cut himself off when she gave him a look that meant she was not letting him get out of this."Fine.I promise I won't protect you if you don't need protecting.But," he held up his index finger to forestall any interruptions, "if you're in trouble, then I'm rescuing you, whether you want me to or not."

Tahiri thought that over, and then answered,"it's a deal."

Anakin nodded."Good…so, do you forgive me?"

Tahiri's eyes sparkled."I'll have to think about that,"

Anakin groaned and she punched him playfully in the shoulder.She was back to her old self again, and he had caused no permanent damage to their friendship.Content that everything was back to normal between them, he got up from the pilot's chair – only to find his legs were not there to support him.Knees buckling, he crashed to the deck floor, the air rushing out of his lungs as fast as lightspeed.He clawed at his throat, his vision becoming fuzzy – and then nothing.It was over as quickly as it had begun.

Still wheezing slightly, he felt Tahiri help him back into the pilot's seat.Concern shone in her brilliant green eyes.

"It's Jaina, isn't?"

He nodded slowly, still a bit shaky after the whole incident.He could only imagine how bad it must have hit Jacen.He stared at Tahiri, a horrified expression on his face."She's dying," he told her."We have to help her," 

Without any assistance, he got to his feet.Jaina was still alive – he could feel her weakened presence – but how long she would stay that way, Anakin was not sure.If Jacen and Tenal Ka were not at the fortress by the time they got there, he and Tahiri could not afford to wait for them.He knew Jacen would be angry with him, but he could handle that.Losing his sister was something he could not.


	12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

The sound of chains clanking together and viciously snapping apart echoed throughout the room.Unable to restrain himself any longer, Zekk broke free from his restraints, charging full throttle at Karsay with a murderous bellow.Still holding the chains that had once kept him bound to the floor, he wrapped them around his knuckles and flung them at the Dark Jedi.

Sensing Zekk's attack, Karsay had to divert his attention away from the helpless victim in front of him in order to defend himself.His divided attention forced him to loosen his grip on Jaina entirely, sending her plummeting to the ground and gasping in lungfuls of wonderful fresh air. 

Even after seeing Jaina was going to be all right, Zekk did not stop his attack on Karsay.Blinded by his rage, Zekk dropped the chains and called his lightsaber from its spot on the other man's waist, to his outstretched hand.With a _snap-hiss_ of his own blade, Karsay met Zekk's first strike head on.Swinging like a madman, Zekk forced Karsay to fall back, but with most of his blows missing wide, he allowed the Dark Jedi to regain his balance and counter attack.

"I knew you still had that hot temper of yours," Karsay said in the middle of exchanging thrusts with Zekk.

Zekk spoke through clenched teeth."I'm going to finish you off like I should have years ago,"

"You won't," Karsay said, as he batted Zekk's blade aside, "because you're just like me.Look at how easily you let your hatred take over."Their lightsabers clashed together, sparks flying out from the connected blades, Karsay leaned in as close to Zekk as he dared, then said in a low voice, "you've become me,"

Startled at this revelation, Zekk lost his concentration, and the force of Karsay's blade drove him to his knees.Knowing he was at a complete disadvantage from his current position, Zekk did the only thing he could think of.He switched off his lightsaber and quickly rolled to the side.Karsay's entire body was focused on driving Zekk's blade out of his hands, making his momentum carry him forward, and with nothing there to hold him back any longer, he tumbled to the ground, shutting off his deadly weapon a before he fell on it.

In a matter of seconds, Zekk had scrambled away from Karsay to the other side of the room.He needed time to think.His palms were so sweaty he could barely hold on to the handle of his lightsaber.Shaking all over, he felt the truth of Karsay's words piercing through his mind._You've become me_.The words kept repeating themselves over and over in his head.What had he done?Was he really that stupid to think that he could give into his dark feelings and then be able to walk away from them consequence free?The frightening part of it all was he had always known that he was different, and no matter how hard he tried he could never go back to being that naïve street kid who always kept his promises.He had proved today that he was still no better than he was during his days with the Shadow Academy.He was still full of hate and a monster with the blood of hundreds perhaps even thousands on his hands.

"Zekk, snap out of it!"A female voice cut into his thoughts.

Forcing himself back to reality, he saw Karsay stalking towards him.Zekk did not ignite his blade.He just stood there, awaiting the fate that he deserved.

Karsay hefted his blade from hand to hand."Come now, Zekk, you're making this too easy for me.Where's the fun in killing an unarmed opponent?"Karsay held his blade high in the air."But that doesn't mean I won't do it."

At the last possible second, Zekk ignited his blade, parrying Karsay's near decapitating thrust.

"I knew you wouldn't give up so easily.You're a coward, not a quitter."

Zekk bit back a response.He could not afford to lose control again.He was already flirting dangerously close to the dark side.He let his movements become defensive, only striking back when he had to.

Annoyance shone on Karsay's face."I'm tired of these games Zekk," he flung himself out of the reach of Zekk's lightsaber and unhooked something from his belt."I always thought it was a good idea to have explosives rigged into the Shadow Academy.It helped to keep people in line."

Zekk's eyes widened."Even you're not that crazy, Karsay,"

"Maybe I am," he flicked a switch on the object in his hand.

Through a tiny grill speaker on the control, a mechanical voice said, "self-destruct sequence activated.Awaiting voice authorization to begin countdown."

Still looking at Zekk, he said into the control, "Karsay, Xander,"

"Voice authorization confirmed.Self-destruct sequence has been engaged.Self-destruct will commence in fifteen minutes."

A deafening alarm blasted throughout the entire fortress, while a calm recorded voice announced fifteen minutes until self-destruction.

"Too bad you failed to finish the job once again, Zekk," Karsay yelled to him over the blaring self-destruct alarm.Then with a final salute using the hilt of his lightsaber, he ran to the far wall, placed his right palm against it, revealing a secret door.Without turning around, Karsay took off into the secret passage, the invisible door closing behind him.

In one swift motion, Zekk was at Jaina's side, who was attempting to get up.

"Jaina, you have to get out of here," he told her, helping her to her feet.

"No, _we_ have to get out of here," she said.

"I can't.I have to go after him,"

"Zekk, that's exactly what he wants you to do,"

"I know that but this is something I have to do.Look, I don't have time to stand here and argue this with you.Now can you please just listen to me for once and do as I tell you?"

Stubbornly, Jaina crossed her arms over her chest and said nothing.

"Jaina –"

"Ok, fine," she said in an exasperated tone.

That took him by surprise.He had not expected her to give in so easily, but was glad that she understood he needed to do this.Alone.He touched her cheek briefly.It felt cold to the touch, but the colour was starting to return to her face.There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but could not find the words to say them.So he said nothing, and took one final look at her before charging to the section of the wall where he had seen Karsay go through.He must have used the force to open it because Zekk could not see any door release.Reaching out with his mind, he found the panel with little difficulty.Placing his palm on the seemingly invisible switch, the door revealed itself.Before it had even slid open all the way, he charged in to the darkened corridor after Karsay.

Waiting until Zekk had gone through the door, Jaina raced to the open section of the wall, slipping through just before the wall closed behind her.Even in here the self-destruct alarm rang, but it was not nearly as ear splitting.

Zekk had been too distracted to realize she had just been telling him what he wanted to hear.Jaina had no intention of leaving this place without him.Besides, he was probably going to need her help.

Tenal Ka and Jacen had lost precious minutes on their quest through the jungle.Now they were trying to make up for that lost time by running the rest of the way as much as they could.

First, they had been attacked by some of the local wildlife, eager to have Jacen and Tenal Ka as their next meal.A half dozen group of four legged sharp-clawed beasts that they had never seen before, had dropped down from the trees above and ambushed them.The animals were able to stand on their hind legs for a short while, so at times it was like fighting a human being who came up to just below their chests.An extremely ferocious human being that is.After finishing off the last of the beasts – Jacen with his lightsaber and Tenal Ka with her deadly throwing knives – they had hurriedly left the area to avoid attracting anymore unwanted visitors.

They came away from that battle unscathed, but had lost twenty minutes in the process. 

A further ten minutes was lost when Jacen had sunk to his knees, grabbing his throat, before finally blacking out from the unbearable pain.When he regained consciousness about five minutes later, he was afraid that when he reached out to his sister, he would not find her.Through their special bond, he had felt every ounce of the torture she was going through.He had never experienced so much pain and terror at once. He knew Jaina was still alive but it made him recoil to think about the kind of agony she must have had to endure.

As they rushed through the forest, Jacen found a new sense of urgency attack his senses.It was not coming from Jaina directly; maybe he was picking up on Zekk's thoughts, he didn't know.All he was sure of was that something was definitely wrong, besides the obvious.

A cramp was burning in his side, but he shut the pain from his mind.Tenal Ka did not even bother asking him if he wanted to stop.She already knew what his answer would be.

The urgent beeping from his wrist comm cut through the sounds of the forest.Without slowing down, Jacen answered it."What is it?"He said, sounding out of breath.

His younger brother's voice came back to him."Jacen, where are you?"

"We ran into some trouble," he replied, "but we're almost there,"

"We can't wait for you anymore,"

Jacen nearly tripped over an overgrown vine."Anakin, that wasn't the plan,"

"You felt it too.She's in trouble, they both are.I can't explain it but I know we have to go._Now_."Anakin signed off before his brother could argue with him further.

Restraining himself from using some of the more colourful swear words he had picked up from his father, Jacen kept on running.He had known all along something like this would happen.

Even though he did not think it was humanly possible, he pushed his legs to take him faster.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Just to let you know, there are still two more chapters left to come after this one.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Parting the foliage in front of him, Anakin searched the open area around him.There was not a single person in sight, but just to be sure, he reached out with the force, finding nothing more than the unintelligible life of the forest.

"Do you see anything?"Tahiri whispered to him.

He shook his head.

"I guess they figured nobody would be crazy enough to try and sneak in the front door."

Anakin smirked at her."Maybe,"

Unclipping her lightsaber, Tahiri said, "we're not getting anywhere just sitting here,"

Anakin ran an inquisitive eye over her.He was definitely rubbing off on her, but he had not yet decided whether that was a good thing.

Together, they climbed out from their hiding spot among the ferns and bushes, and dashed across the open space to the doors of the building.They were locked of course, and made out of a metal alloy.Nothing a couple of lightsabers couldn't slice through.As one, they ignited their humming blades.

"You don't suppose they'd just open the door if we asked them to, do you?"Said Tahiri.

Anakin was going to quote her the odds of that ever happening when an alarm thundered from the fortress.Someone must have spotted them and sounded the perimeter alarm.Scrambling, Tahiri and Anakin rounded a corner of the building to hide themselves.Making themselves as flat as possible against the wall, they waited, hearts pounding.Several seconds passed but no one came after them.They exchanged confused looks before Anakin peered around the corner in time to see the front doors swing open and hoards of uniformed troops press their way outside.

Anakin whistled under his breath at seeing all these troops being sent out to capture the two intruders.

Tahiri peered over his shoulder and gulped.

The strange thing was they didn't seem to be looking for them at all.They were all taking off into the forest, seemingly fleeing the building.Overhead, the two Jedi could hear ships blasting off and streaking towards space.

Puzzled, Tahiri asked, "what are they doing?"

"It looks like they're abandoning their base," but why, Anakin had no idea.

"Well, what are we waiting for, an invitation?"Tahiri said before charging around the corner, waving her lightsaber.

Frowning, he charged after her, coming to the conclusion that her adventurous new attitude was definitely not a good thing.One headstrong and impulsive person in their relationship was enough.With two of them like that they were destined for trouble.

The fleeing troops spared the intruders no more than a fleeting glance before ignoring them completely.

Before they even reached the open doors, they heard a recorded voice speaking above the roaring alarm.

"Self-destruct is imminent in fourteen minutes,"

The abandoning of the building suddenly became as clear to Anakin as his instincts telling him he could not wait for his brother.The place was going to blow into a million pieces in less than fifteen minutes – with Jaina and Zekk inside it.

Without a moment's hesitation, Anakin and Tahiri plunged into the doomed building.

Running through the secret corridor, Zekk used his lightsaber to see the path ahead of him.His lightsaber casting moving shadows off the walls as he ran.The beating of his own heart was louder than the blaring alarm.Karsay couldn't be too far ahead of him.

With the help of his lightsaber, Zekk could see an opening up ahead.When he reached it, he found it to be a storage room of some kind.Old equipment lined one wall, while stacks of crates were piled at various heights all over the room.

The faint danger sensation came too late for Zekk. A silhouetted figure leapt down from the shadows of the crates, slamming full tilt into Zekk and sending him crashing to the ground.Luckily, he managed to hold onto his lightsaber, which allowed him to block the attacking lunge from Karsay's own blade.

"I knew your pride wouldn't allow you to just let me walk away,"

Panting, Zekk managed to get back to his feet."More like some unfinished business I needed to settle once and for all."

The air around them crackled and sizzled with the colliding of the two energy blades as the two opponents spun around each other.Like a well-rehearsed routine, each would block the other's attack only to come up with a counter attack that would also not get through their foes' defenses.It went on like that until a careless mistake on Zekk's part allowed Karsay to gain the upper hand.Falling for Karsay's feint to the left, leaving the entire right side of his body open for attack, made it easy for Karsay to graze Zekk's unprotected shoulder before Zekk could recover fast enough to stop it.Where the blade touched him it singed through the fabric of his shirt and the skin underneath it.

Crying out, Zekk stumbled backwards, the scent of his own charred flesh piercing through his nostrils.

Not wasting a second, Karsay used the force to hurl his weakened opponent into a group of wooden crates stacked together.

When the debris settled, a disoriented Zekk shook his head to clear it.His previously injured ribs caused his breathing to come in shallow gasps.Grimacing, he clutched his side with one hand and used the other to push the broken wooden pieces off of himself.Most of the crates had tumbled harmlessly around him but a few had managed to fall on top of him before breaking apart.

Hearing ominous footsteps heading in his direction, Zekk quickly tried to collect himself.Unfortunately, he had been unable to maintain his grasp on his lightsaber this time and it had tumbled to the ground out of his line of vision.

Karsay, with his blood red lightsaber, loomed over Zekk.He extended the blade until the tip of it was so close to Zekk's face that all he could see was crimson.He didn't dare breathe, afraid the slightest movement would bring him into contact with the killer weapon.

Gloating, Karsay said, "I've been waiting for this moment for so long, Zekk.And now you're mine,"

"Hey," called the female voice of Jaina Solo, "didn't anyone ever tell you not to count your gorts before they hatch?"She stood no more than twenty feet from Karsay, with Zekk's flame coloured energy blade blazing in her hands.

Zekk should have known Jaina would never willing run away and save herself. She had too much of her mother and father in her.

Turning away from Zekk, who was not really in any shape to go anywhere anyways, the Dark Jedi moved towards Jaina, deliberately taking his time.Jaina was not the same helpless target that had been at his mercy minutes before.Now she was armed and looking to even the score.

Karsay initiated the duel by lashing out with his lightsaber.Jaina, ready for it, blocked it with the ease coming from years of intense training.

They broke off, warily circling each other, waiting to see who would make the next move.

"I don't know what Zekk did to instill such fierce loyalty in you, but I can assure you it's severely misplaced.

"You talk to much," Jaina said, batting Karsay's blade aside.

Simultaneously, they brought their blades crashing together.Each using all their strength, they continued pushing their lightsabers together, trying to drive their opponent back.

Karsay drove his blade forward. "So, Zekk's told you everything about his days as a Dark Jedi, and yet you still respect him?"

Jaina, not giving Karsay an inch, pushed back with equal force,"He told me enough,"

Karsay's eyes gleamed."Ah, so he hasn't told you everything, has he?"

"Jaina," Zekk shouted to her, "don't let him distract you,"

With a broad grin on his face, Karsay said, "he's just afraid to let you find out what kind of monster he is."Karsay swung his mighty blade into Jaina's."Did he ever tell you about our little mission to Kuat where we stole several ships and killed the entire crew onboard each vessel?Or the time _Lord Zekk _ordered the execution of one of his fellow Dark Jedi because he arrived late to combat class?"

Jaina tried not to falter or show that Karsay's words were affecting her.How could she trust this guy anyways?He was crazy enough to blow up his own fortress – with himself inside it.He would say anything to discredit Zekk because he hated him so much.

Taking her silence as not believing him, Karsay said, "if what I say weren't true then why isn't Zekk denying any of it?Do you really think he would ever tell you about something he did that was truly that despicable?"

Jaina wanted to scream at him, tell him he was a liar, but she could detect no falseness or deception in his tone, only the truth.

She had been letting her mind wander, and was now being forced back by Karsay.Her scattered thoughts were weakening her defense.

"He's murdered more than enough people to fill a space cruiser," Karsay kept on, continuing to prey on Jaina's distraction, "you think you know him but you have no idea who he really is," he continued driving her back, slowing tearing down her weakening defenses, piece by piece, until he slapped her lightsaber to the ground.Jaina went to back up, but found she was already up against the smooth surface of the wall.He could have finished her right then and there, but Jaina remembered Zekk mentioning to her that he preferred to torture his victims first, to remind them who they were dealing with.

Out of options, Jaina did the first thing that came to her mind.With all the speed she could muster, she dropped to the floor, swiping out with her right leg, knocking Karsay's feet out from under him and he fell onto his back.Not standing around to admire her quick thinking, Jaina dashed to where her lightsaber had fallen.

Just as she reached it, voices started screaming in her head, memories flashing in her mind that did not belong to her were overloading her senses.She sank to her knees, clutching the sides of her head in agony.Images of death and destruction were all around her, with Zekk being the central figure of it all.Karsay was pulling some kind of force trick on her mind, but the sensations were too powerful, _too_ real for her to block them out.

Powering down his weapon, Karsay watched with sick fascination the way Jaina withered in agony at the images he was sending her.Feeling her trying to repel his mind, he took the handle of his lightsaber and smacked her in the side of the head with it to put her out of her misery.Blood gushed out from her head wound and Jaina dropped like a stone.

"Noooo!"Screamed Zekk's voice from behind Karsay.

Zekk launched himself through the air, tackling Karsay to the ground.Wrestling together, Karsay fumbled for the power stud on his lightsaber.Zekk, seeing what Karsay was attempting to do, reached for the weapon.They fought for control of it, with the open end of the blade pointed at Zekk's torso, ready to slice through his insides the moment it turned on.Karsay rolled on top of him, clawing at Zekk's face in an effort to get him to let go of the lightsaber's handle.Zekk clamped his teeth down on Karsay's fingers, drawing blood and eliciting a yelp of pain from him.Using the temporary distraction to his advantage, Zekk turned the handle of the weapon around so it was facing Karsay's midsection.He ignited the blade, and there was a gurgling sound as the lightsaber burned through the muscle and tissue of the Dark Jedi's midsection.

A look of sheer surprise at this turn of events crossed Karsay's evil features.He looked down to see the gaping hole that had been carved into him by his own weapon, and then looked back up at Zekk.In a hoarse voice he croaked, "you can never escape what you are."Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell onto Zekk.Dead.Shutting down the scarlet lightsaber, Zekk rolled Karsay off of him, who crumbled lifelessly to the floor.

Zekk laid there very still, a cold feeling settling inside of him.He had killed in self-defense, but could not escape the fact that he had wanted to kill Karsay all along.

The recorded voice announced, "self-destruct is imminent in six minutes,"

That penetrated its way into his brain.They had to get out of there.

He rushed over to where Jaina lay in a crumpled heap with her eyes closed, bleeding profusely from where Karsay had rammed her with the hilt of his lightsaber.Tearing a piece of cloth from his own shirt he made a quick compress to stop the bleeding, using another piece of fabric to tie it around her forehead.

She was breathing, but that was the only sign of life he could detect.Carefully, but knowing they did not have a lot of time, he scooped her unconscious form into his arms and took off towards the tunnel where they had come from at a speed even Tenal Ka would have been envious of.

Five minutes left.

"This is ridiculous," Tahiri exclaimed, fending off another blaster bolt."This place is about to blow up and they're still trying to hold down the fort,"

Off to the side and slightly in front of her, Anakin sent another blaster bolt flying back and knocked a blaster out of one of the trooper's hands.

Some of Karsay's more loyal troops had stayed behind to fight the intruders, despite the constant reminder of piercing alarms and recorded warnings that came every minute to tell them that self-destruct was inevitable.

"We don't have time for this," Anakin yelled to Tahiri so she could hear him over all the commotion.They were wasting precious time fighting instead of searching for Zekk and Jaina. 

Reaching out with their minds, they sent inviting thoughts of sleep into the trooper's minds.They encountered little resistance; even those with the ability to use the force had not been properly trained to resist the mind trick.

Once they rounded a corner and were out of the trooper's line of sight, Anakin planted a powerful suggestion in their minds that they needed to wake up and get out of there, now.

With that done, Anakin used the force to locate his sister, taking off in the direction his senses were pointing to.

Four minutes left.

Zekk went unchallenged as he ran with Jaina in his arms through the ill-fated building.Anyone with a shed of common sense had already vacated the place.

The fortress was like a maze to Zekk.He hoped he was not going around in circles.He knew there must have been another way out of the secret tunnel Karsay had led him to, but he did not have the time to search the entire area looking for an exit he may never find.Instead, he found himself running aimlessly through the corridors looking for a turbo lift or a set of stairs to take him to the bottom floor. If he did not find a way out of there soon, he was going to have to find a window somewhere and jump down.

"Damnit," he swore under his breath, seeing that it appeared he was coming to a dead end.He was about to turn around when the closed doors of a turbo lift came into view.He raced towards it, feeling the familiar swoosh of air as the doors slid apart when he approached them.Without waiting for the doors to close, he punched the button for the ground floor.

"Come on, come on," he muttered as the turbolift made its decent.

The sound of a distant explosion shook the lift car.Zekk held onto Jaina tightly, while at the same time doing his best to keep his own balance.

The lift came to a sudden halt three floors from the bottom.Cursing, Zekk furiously pressed the button to make the lift start again, but nothing happened.Placing Jaina on the floor, he took out his lightsaber and cut a hole through the doors of the lift large enough for the both of them to fit through.Before he finished slicing his way through he started to smell smoke.

Picking up Jaina, he rushed through the opening he had carved out and bounded down the corridor.It was hotter here and the stench of smoke was stronger. He rounded another corner before coming to a skidding halt.

Some of the explosives must have gone off early because the hallway in front of them was in shambles.Bulkheads were flaming apart, and large smoking holes were gouged into the walls.

They could not turn back.It would take too much time to head back to the lift and cut a hole through the floor and jump down.Plus there was no guarantee the floors below them weren't also on fire.This was the only way out.Zekk could see a window not too far off, but the only way to reach it would be to go through the burning flames.

It did not look like he had much of a choice.

"Zekk!"Shouted a familiar voice, just as a flaming bulkhead came crashing down in front of him and Jaina.

Tenal Ka and Jacen had not even made it through the last of the forest when they started hearing the blaring sounds of an alarm.

Coming into the clearing, they spotted more than a dozen young men heading into the forest.

Tenal Ka seized his arm.He felt it too.Something terrible was about to happen.

Swinging Jaina over his right shoulder, Zekk used his free hand to reach his lightsaber and slice the burning bulkhead in half.

"Anakin, it's too late, get out of here!" 

But Anakin and Tahiri were too deep in concentration to respond to him, and in a moment Zekk understood why.Slowly but surely, the path of flames to the window departed into a clear path.

"Zekk, I don't know how long we can hold it," Anakin said in a strained voice.

Zekk did not need anymore prodding.He made his way through the path they had created, generating a shield around himself and Jaina to deflect any stray flames or debris.The shield would not hold though, if an entire bulkhead came down on them.

The smoke was starting to get to him, but he forced himself to stay on course to the window.

One minute left.

Concentrating as deeply as he was, Anakin could barely hear the annoying alarm blasting in the background.

When Zekk made it close enough to the window, he shouted back to them."I can take it from here.Now get yourselves out of here!"

Seeing they had already done everything they possibly could, Anakin and Tahiri backed up until they were facing a similar window.On the count of one, they broke through the glass, gravity tugging their bodies to the ground, but together, they used the force to cushion their fall.

Looking around, Anakin could see no sign that Zekk or Jaina had yet jumped from the doomed building.

No time left.

The moment he took his first step towards the fortress, the earth rumbled beneath Jacen's feet with enough force to knock him to the ground.Up in flames went the building in front of him, sending scraps of shrapnel flying everywhere.

"Jaina!" He screamed, getting to his feet and running towards the flaming building.Tenal grabbed him before he had gone two feet.

"Jacen, there is nothing you can do,"

He struggled against the hold of her strong arms, tears stinging his eyes as he watched the building burn down in front of him.He had almost lost all hope when he saw three bedraggled figures, one of them carrying a fourth figure in his arms, heading in their direction.

Letting go of Jacen, Tenal Ka and he raced towards the group, expressions of relief and joy evident on their faces.That was until they saw Zekk cradling an unconscious Jaina in his arms, dry blood flaking on the side of her head.Zekk did not look to be in much better shape, but he could walk, though it looked as if it caused him great discomfort to do so.

Coughing from the amount of smoke he had inhaled, Zekk managed to say, " she needs medical attention,"

"The _Lightning Rod_ is a five minute walk this way," Anakin announced.

Jacen noted both his brother and Tahiri's faces and clothes were covered in black ash, but besides that and a few minor cuts and bruises they seemed okay.

They followed Anakin and Tahiri as the two led them back into the forest to the spot where they had hidden their only means of escape off this planet.

Once they had reached the _Lightning Rod_, its crew noticed some additional scorch marks by the boarding ramp.Some of Karsay's men had obviously tried to make a quick getaway with the ship but had been unable to break inside it.

Zekk could care less about the blast marks, he had more pressing matters on his mind.The health of Jaina Solo being one of them.

When they boarded the ship, Anakin headed straight for the cockpit, knowing Zekk wanted to stay with his sister, while the rest of them headed for the lounge to see what they could do to help.

Tenal Ka took out a med-kit and brought it over to where Zekk had placed Jaina lying down on a repulsor couch.She was the most capable medic of them – Ta'a Chume had made sure of that – so she began dressing Jaina's head wound.Carefully removing the compress that Zekk had placed there to stop the bleeding, she inspected the wound.It was deep but nothing a bacta patch could not heal.Tenal Ka suspected the injury may have caused her friend a concussion as well.

The two young men deeply concerned for Jaina's safety stood nearby, watching intently as Tenal Ka attended to her.

Zekk felt the familiar hum of the ship's engines and knew they had just lifted off.It would only take a few moments before the _Lightning Rod_ cleared Dundas' atmosphere and jumped to lightspeed.

He went to wipe some soot off his face when a dark stain on his hand caught his eye.Blood.Jaina's blood from when he had attempted to stop the bleeding of her head wound.He looked down at his clothes.Crimson colour stained his shirt from when he had killed Karsay.He was covered in blood and most of it was not his own.

"What happened in there, Zekk?"Jacen asked him.

Should he tell them everything?He wasn't sure if they would understand let alone accept what he had done.He was still having trouble letting the events of the past couple of hours sink in.

"Karsay and I were at the Shadow Academy together," he began, "and he wanted to settle an old score with me.When I didn't co-operate, he went after Jaina, and then he decided to blow up his fortress with us in it.He took off and I went after him."Jacen glared at him and Zekk knew exactly what the other Jedi was thinking."I tried to stop Jaina from coming after me, but she wouldn't listen."

Fuming, Jacen said, "of course she wouldn't.Whatever gave you the impression that my sister would just walk away from danger because you asked her to?"

"Jacen, this was something I had to do.Jaina knew that,"

"And you knew she would follow you," Jacen said hotly, pointing an accusing finger at Zekk."This is all _your _fault.If anything happens to her…" he left the unfinished sentence hang in the air and took a threatening step in Zekk's direction.

"I would die before I would let anything happen to her," Zekk said truthfully, "but what happened was an accident,"

"An accident?"The veins on Jacen's neck were bulging out, "she could have died because of your selfish actions.But I guess settling your score with Karsay was more important to you."

"Don't you ever – "

"Enough, both of you!"Tenal Ka snapped, stepping in between the two before they could get any closer."None of this pointless arguing is going to help Jaina,"

She was right, but that did not stop them form continuing to glower at each other for a little longer.Jacen backed down first.Muttering something incomprehensible, he stormed out of the lounge.

"He is just concerned for his sister, Zekk," Tenal Ka explained.

"I know that," he replied, staring down at Jaina's unconscious form, "so am I," 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

On Courscant a few days later, Zekk found himself wandering through the halls of the Imperial Palace's medical center.He was heading in the direction of the private rooms, which were used for those individuals who were recovering from serious injuries or operations.

He had gotten the call from Ambassador Organa Solo five minutes earlier, telling him the wonderful news that Jaina was awake.He had just gotten out of the shower when he had received the call and was still hurrying to get dressed when he walked out the door.

Zekk had no trouble finding the room the Ambassador had told him to go to, and when he got closer he could clearly make out the voices of Han and Leia Organa Solo talking with their daughter inside.

"The Raging Rancor, huh?"Han Solo said scratching his head, a thoughtful expression on his face, "I don't think I've ever been there,"

"Too bad," Jaina said with a smile, "I think you would have fit right in there, dad,"

Leia tried to fix her daughter with a stern gaze, but her features ended up turning into an amused expression."You would think that after all those stories your father told you and your brothers, you would have the sense to stay out of those places,"

"I'm the one you should blame," Zekk said sheepishly from his spot in the doorway, "I brought her there,"

"Probably," Han said, getting that fatherly protective look on his face, "but you brought her back in one piece, so I'll let it go this time,"

"Come on, Han," Leia said, tugging on her husband's elbow, "we have that thing to take care of, remember?"

Han looked at his wife as if she had just grown a third eye."What thing – ow!Oh _that_ thing," he said when Leia elbowed him in the ribs."I had completely forgotten about that.We'll see ya later, sweetheart," said Han, giving his daughter a hug from where she sat in her bed, propped up by a bunch of pillows."Just try not to get into too much trouble while we're gone, ok?"

Jaina chuckled, something that still hurt her head to do."I'll try dad, but I can't promise anything,"

"That's my girl," Han said, with his usual lopsided smirk before following his wife out of the room.

Jaina noticed Zekk was hanging back in the doorway, as if he was afraid to be alone with her.

"I don't have the Togorian flu, Zekk.You can come closer, you know,"

Zekk relaxed a bit and strode into the room, taking a seat on the chair that had been occupied by Jaina's father only moments before.

"So…how do you feel?"He asked, deciding on a light subject.

"Well, either then this little bump on my head," she said indicating to the skin graft bandage on the side of her forehead, "I feel fine,"

Zekk eyed her dubiously."The doctors said you had a severe concussion,"

Jaina snorted."Doctors.They worry too much,"

She noted how Zekk kept averting her gaze.She reached out for his hand, and after a few long moments he reluctantly took it.It felt like ice.

"My parents said you were here the whole time I was unconscious," Jaina said, "until the doctors finally made your get yourself checked up and then forced you to go home to get some rest."

Zekk rolled his eyes."I was fine.I didn't need any rest,"

Now it was Jaina's turn to eye him skeptically."My mom said you looked like you were going to drop dead on your feet,"

Zekk shrugged."I guess you didn't tell your parents what really happened or else I seriously doubt they would have left me alone with you,"

Jaina tucked a long, dark strand of hair behind her ear."I may have left out a few details – "

Zekk pulled his hand away from hers."A few details?You saw what I did, how I lost control.Then Karsay put those memories in your head and showed you what I really am.A cold-blooded killer,"

"Zekk, that's not true,"

He flew out of his seat and started pacing."Jaina, you're the only one who can't face the truth.You think I'm some kind of redeemed Jedi who's finally found the right path, but I'm not.I'm nothing but a failure,"

"You did what you did because you were trying to save me,"

"Come on Jaina," he said in an exasperated tone, "you know as well as I do that I can't keep using that as an excuse.I made a choice, and if I had to do it all over again I would do the same thing.You know why?Because it felt good to give into my hate like that,"

"Don't say that,"

"Why not?We both knew the day would come where I would have to stop pretending and just accept what I am,"

Jaina was silently shaking her head, not willing to accept for a second that what he was saying was the truth.But even she had to admit that Zekk's actions on Dundas had more than frightened her a little.She had felt him slipping away from her then, and now when she reached out to him to try and figure out what was going on in that head of his she came up empty.It was as if he was purposely shielding his mind from hers.

"Jaina, I killed Karsay," he took a deep breath, "and I enjoyed it," he dropped his gaze to the floor."I don't know how you can even stand being in the same room as me,"

"Zekk, I love you," she said softly.

He shook his head."I don't deserve your love,"

"Zekk, can you stop your self-recrimination for two seconds, and listen to what I have to say?" She said in an irritated voice."You were right earlier when you said I don't understand your past.How can I, when I'm not you?But I want to understand these images Karsay put in my head. You said you would tell me everything when the right time came, and now's as good a time as ever.I deserve to know about it after everything that's happened."

Zekk hesitated.He had never talked openly about the worst things he had done as a Dark Jedi with anyone.It was something he had always thought he would have to keep hidden if he wanted his friends to continue being his friends.But if anyone could understand or find it in their heart to forgive him, it was Jaina.She had proved that countless times by standing by him during his recovery from the dark side and any other time someone had doubted his loyalties.He did owe her this.After all, she had almost died because of him, and that was not the first time that had happened.

Composing himself, he sat back down on a chair facing her, waiting for the words to come to him.And they did.Not holding back any gory details or explanations, he spilt everything about his past as a Dark Jedi to her.

Holding his breath, Jacen pressed the door chime to Tenal Ka's apartment.Actually, it was a suite that Prince Isolder and his wife had purchased for the times when they had business on Courscant.

Jacen had been out when Tenal Ka had called his home but she had left a message with Anakin, asking him to come by to see her later.

The door to the apartment slid open seconds after he had rung the chime.Tenal Ka stood in the doorway, gesturing for him to come inside.

"Anakin gave me your message," he said as he entered the apartment.

"He said you went to visit Jaina."

Jacen nodded."Yeah, my parents called home and said she was awake.Zekk was visiting her when they left, and he was still there when I arrived.He and Jaina looked like they were having a pretty intense conversation, so I decided not to bother them."

Tenal Ka raised an eyebrow, sensing Jacen's slight resentment towards his friend."You are still angry with Zekk," it was a statement, not a question.

Jacen shrugged and flopped down on one of the couches in the living area.

"He did save Jaina's life," she pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess he did – after he endangered it.But I'm sure you didn't ask me to come over so we could discuss Zekk's heroics."

"This is a fact," she replied.

When she did not go on, Jacen said, "are you going to tell me what's going on with you or would you prefer to continue keeping me in the dark?"

"I thought it was best to keep it from you or anyone else,"

_That's a start.At least she's not denying there's nothing wrong anymore._

__"Tenal Ka, what is it?You've been acting so strange since you came back from Dathomir,"

"I was foolish to think I could hide anything from you," she said, shaking her head, her long, reddish gold hair swaying freely around her.She had decided forgo her customary braids for one day.

"This is a fact," Jacen said, attempting to lighten the mood.It didn't last long, though.

Tenal Ka looked like she was trying to find the right words to say next, but with little success."This is difficult for me," she explained, "because even I have not fully begun to accept it yet,"

Something in her voice disturbed him.He got to his feet and stood in front of her."Accept what?"With a worried look on his face, he said, "whatever it is that's got you this scared, you can tell me,"

If it had been anyone else suggesting that _she_ was actually afraid of something, Tenal Ka would have tackled that person to the ground with a Dathomirian war cry, denying it.But lying to Jacen was like lying to herself.She was tired of keeping secrets.

"I'm sick, Jacen,"

"W-what?"He stammered, "sick, how?"

"It is called Sinapsisden.A disease that only those with a Dathomirian bloodline can get, and even then it is still rare."

"You can't be sick," he protested, "you look perfectly healthy to me,"

"The disease is in its earliest stages," she informed him.

Bracing himself for the answer, he asked, "is there a cure?"

"There is medication I can take to help control it, but there is no actual cure for it,"

Jacen looked away from her."No, I won't accept that,"

"Jacen, you have to.Just like _I _have to,"

Stubbornly, he said, "it's not fair,"

"Many people manage to live long and healthy lives before the disease finally sets in," she said, as much to convince herself as she was trying to convince him.

Jacen ran his hands through his thick hair."I feel like such a jerk for the way I've been acting,"

"I should have been honest with you from the beginning,"

Jacen grimaced."I need to be honest with you about something, too," he said slowly."I went through your bag when we were in the forest and found a bottle of pills in there," he confessed.

Her expression quickly transformed in to one of anger, but then faded away."I never thought you would go through my private belongings,"

"Neither did I, and I'm sorry I did it.I should have respected your privacy and waited for you to tell me what was going on when you were ready,"

A teasing look on her face, she said, "perhaps you will fit in with Hapan society after all," 

"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult,"

"You may choose which ever one you like," Tenal Ka said with a shrug, "I was merely stating a fact,"

"Let me state another fact for you," Jacen said, pushing away the strands of hair that had fallen into her face."This disease changes nothing between us.I promise not to become an obsessively over-protective boyfriend, as long as you promise to let me help you and not push me away if the disease ever becomes too much for you to handle.And," he added, pasting a lopsided grin on his face, "don't expect me to go easy on you when we're dueling."

Tenal Ka's lips curved upwards."Does this mean I should no longer 'go easy' on you as well?"

Chuckling, Jacen embraced Tenal Ka, and for the first time since coming back from Dathomir she hugged him back with equal force.

She rested her head on his shoulder."I love you, Jacen Solo," she murmured softly.

"I know,"

There's still one chapter left!!!!!!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

And now, the conclusion of my story…

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

More than a standard week later, Jaina Solo stepped out onto the balcony that housed the Jedi Praxeum.Evening was settling on the jungle moon, and a warm breeze brushed against her face as she joined the only other person presently occupying the area.

"I figured you'd be up here," Jaina said to the dark haired person with his back to her.

He did not acknowledge her, but Jaina knew Zekk had heard her.By the set of his shoulders and the rest of his posture, she could tell that something was deeply troubling him.

"You missed evening meal,"

"I need to leave, Jaina," he said without turning around.

Puzzled, Jaina said, "what do you mean 'leave'?"

He turned to face her."This place," he said, gesturing with his arms out wide.

"Zekk, what are you talking about?"She was even more confused now.

"I don't belong here,"

Jaina sighed._Not this again_.

"It's different this time," he said, picking up on her thoughts."I don't even know who I am anymore.I don't even _want_ to know who I am anymore,"

Jaina just stood there, listening to Zekk explain why he had to go.Her head was spinning.The only thing she was able to comprehend was that he was leaving her.Again.The rest of the details were unimportant.

"I can't pretend these dark feelings inside of me don't exist.And now more then ever, I'm not even sure if I can control them."

"Then let us help," Jaina pleaded, "Uncle Luke knows better than anyone – "

"It's not that simple, Jaina," he said shaking his head, trying to make her understand his decision, "I don't know what I'd be capable of if I stayed here."

"I could help you,"

Sadly, Zekk shook his head."Not even you can help me.This is something that I have to work out on my own.I would've left days ago but I wanted to make sure you were okay first,"

"Well, I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you like that," Jaina said bitterly.

Zekk repressed a sigh.She was not making this easy for him."I didn't mean it like that and you know it.Jaina, this was a difficult enough decision for me to make.Please don't make it any harder."

"So, that's it then?You're just gonna runaway again,"

Zekk cringed inwardly at her words, just as Jaina had hoped he would."I'll be back," he promised.

Jaina let out a bitter laugh."Yeah, when?A couple of months?A couple of years?This isn't the first time you've decided to take off," Jaina accused him, remembering when Zekk had left that first time after he had turned back from the dark side.Then there had been the time after graduation when he had left for awhile because he had said he wanted to see some more of the galaxy before settling down and becoming a respectable Jedi Knight."You can't keep running away from your problems, Zekk.They'll eventually catch up to you no matter how far you run.

"And you know what makes me mad the most?"She said, her anger full blown now, "the fact that you think you can just take off whenever you want and that I'll still be here waiting for you to come home," 

"Jaina, I don't want things to end like this,"

"Then don't go," she said simply.

"I have to,"

"I guess we all have to do things that we don't want to do, don't we?"

Zekk frowned, sensing a double meaning in her words."What are you saying?"

Jaina turned her back to him."I'm saying," she began, tears welling up in her eyes, "that if you leave…this time don't come back."

"You don' mean that,"

The tears started spilling down her cheeks."Yes, I do,"

"Jaina – " he grabbed her arm, he had to make her see reason.She needed to understand that she making a huge mistake, one that she would regret later on.But Jaina pulled away from him.

Not wanting to let Zekk see her tears, she took off back into the temple, blindly pushing past anyone and everyone who got in her way.She did not stop running until she reached her room.Slamming the door behind her, she dropped to the ground, shoulders bobbing and crying like she had never cried before in her sixteen years.

In the early hours of the morning before dawn, a cloaked figure slipped into Jaina's room.With quiet footsteps, he crept towards the bed where the sleeping form of Jaina Solo lay.

Shrouded in darkness, with only the moonlight from the open window to guide him, he removed two objects from his cloak and placed them on the nightstand by the bed.

Looking longingly at the sleeping figure, he backed out of the room as quietly as he had entered it, gently closing the door behind him.

Zekk ran a routine pre-flight check on the _Lightning Rod_, just to be sure that the old ship didn't have any little surprises in store for him once he was air born.When he was satisfied that she was in her usual 'optimum' condition, he started up the engines.

For a good couple of minutes he just sat there contemplating his situation.In his head he knew what he had to do, but in his heart… well, that was another story.

_If you leave… don't come back._

Taking a deep breath he made his decision.

Lifting his ship off the ground, he maneuvered it through the open hanger bay doors and into the air.As he gained altitude, the Jedi Academy became smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a tiny speck against the green landscape.

Pulling away from Yavin Four's atmosphere, Zekk punched in a set of coordinates into the nav computer.

He knew he was doing the right thing, and he knew that some day Jaina would understand his decision.

Once the nav computer came up with a hyperspace route, Zekk pulled down on the throttle in front of him.Without looking back, he plunged into hyperspace.

**The End**

So did you like it???Let me know what you think.

I'm already working on a sequel and should post the first chapter of it in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for it (I still haven't thought of a title for it yet). 


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